Burning Scales and Frosted Hands
by Enterpraise
Summary: The Frost Giants attacked, declaring war with the support of Jotenheim's strongest soldier. The Hidden Kingdom retaliates with their own weapon, the last Fire Hornback standing: Eren Jaeger. (Dragon AU with Norse Mythology. Riren. Slow build)
1. Chapter 1

The young lord laughed, gallivanting across the arctic mush beneath his securely covered feet. Up above, past the haggard, swaying Godwood tree and the hovering clouds that looked inflated, the bright sun flashed it's excellence in little snippets.

With a sweep of his arms, Eren spun around, once, twice, thrice, laughing gaily in his folly as he created circles upon circles in the snow underneath. The spinning soon elevated into a sloppy dance and the young man tripped unceremoniously into the white plush when his feet snagged, wetting his snow hat and backside effectively but not touching his uncovered skin. It felt nice to be free of the confining study and release his stress in acting like a 20 year old again.

"Young one, cease that wretched noise."

Eren paused in his creation of a snow angel as the deep timber of the aged Dragon Maestri levitating off the ground broke his dreamlike trance. With a crinkle of his nose, Eren frowned, an occurrence that was becoming ever so common in the fifty year old Fire Hornback.

"Maestri Sebastian, I was laughing." Eren commented drily.

The Maestri merely peeked open one of his closed eyes and glanced at Eren with a blank stare.

"Is that what all the kids are doing lately?" He sighed, billows of smoke puffing out of his mouth as his lips parted. "Akarth bless us all."

"Wha- There's nothing wrong with my laugh!" Eren exclaimed, offended.

The Maestri's eyes both opened as wafts of smoke were picked up by his keen senses. Tendrils of gray whipped off his grandson and a brilliant blood red flame emerged from the child's fingertips. A beautiful sight it was. Both the display of the extremely rare prowess of magic in Eren and the familiar trait of bold anger passed down the Jaeger Clan's ancestral line from the moment it began.

However, the anger prevalent in his precious grandson was more vivid and unmerciful than ever seen in a Jaeger.

It must be controlled.

"Be at peace, my darling." The Maestri calmly commanded with naught but a flicker of his wrist. "Do not let it consume you."

Instantly, the fire inside the boy swelled down to a hidden danger instead of known. The tranquility spell that had been cast fulfilled its duty well. For now, it was safe to continue his barrier spells without the caution of Eren combusting into flames like the last time.

"Oi, Grandpap." Eren whined, using the pet name donned upon his Grandfather from when he was a fledgling.

The Maestri's pointed ear twitched at the nickname. '_Manipulative little thing-your fault, Carla.' _

"You know better than to call me that, darling." He chided.

Eren pouted. "Don't call me '_darling_', Grandpap!" He huffed, mimicking his grandfather's voice horrendously.

With an agitated snort and a cloud of smoke hindering his view from said snort, Maestri Sebastian disrupted his process of setting the protective barriers around his land and gracefully unraveled his legs to return to the land.

"Listen here, you obstinate little dragon-"

"Well by golly, I wonder who I get it from!" Eren interjected with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

This earned him a tired groan and a swift smack on the head, which was thankfully buffered by the thick wool resting upon it.

"Fuck." Another smack for vulgarities.

Eren moaned as he lifted up a hand with long, sharp claws to his head and rubbed half-heartedly. "You are most certainly _not_ the image of pleasantness, Maestri."

"Well, you certainly _are_ Carla's son. That much is for sure." Maestri Sebastian said whilst replacing Eren's slim hands with his own, large, scarred, and undeniably gentle.

It was deathly silent.

The Maestri cringed inwardly, cursing at himself for breaching the precarious subject so early. Looking down at his kin and tyro, his slitted azure eyes examined the young lord.

Blank. Empty. Devoid. Terrifying.

The Mistress of Death leaves no sympathy to those who are left in her destructive wake. Only pain and sorrow. Only wrath and anger. Only chaos.

Cupping the younger dragon's unblemished face, the Maestri's tongue slithered out before he began singing an ancient Fire Dragon song for those who had passed.

_The souls of the ones who slipped through our grasp,_

_Come back to us if you can,_

_If not we enchant you with a spell of fire,_

_For you are our kin in iron and blood._

_O' yonder up there in the wispy clouds,_

_Fly free, fly free, your wings spread out,_

_The memories you left will be carried with love,_

_Fly free, fly free, in the heavens above._

Tears streamed in plentiful rivets down Eren's face. The death of his mother only twenty years prior had changed something within him. The white light inside tainted red. Dragons live for thousands and thousands of years; spawning is for the nobility only and even that is regulated. Fire Dragons are also close knit and tied to their blood. Extremely susceptible to emotions; lust, wrath, and sorrow being the strongest. Perhaps that was the downfall of Fire Dragons, their psychosocial behavioral set up. Lust brings sorrow. Wrath brings sorrow. The two sins combined can bring immense sorrow. Sorrow was a pitfall for Fire Dragons, one hidden by ignorance, and when one fell in, it's constricting hold never let go.

A death of a loved one could kill a Fire Dragon out of grief alone for they feel too much too often.

A dragon death was a rarity but in the times of external and internal crisis due to the rise of the Frost Giants, dragon deaths were becoming a regular occurrence much to the kingdom's horror.

Eren's father had been impaled by the Frost Giants. To the bafflement of others, he didn't miss the man very much. His father was never nice to him. Always sticking things in him, alive and twitching or sharp and metallic. When he had told his mother about the things his father did to him, Eren was surprised that his father could still move after his mother's fire storm. He never saw him after that, not in the castle or anywhere. Didn't care. He only knew his father had passed as the pang of losing a parent and a bloodline was something he and all of the other dragons felt immensely.

(Looking back, Eren would get nauseous and overwhelmed because now he could understand that his father desecrated him in the most unspeakable ways.)

But it was nothing like the grievous pain he felt when his mother passed. Raped and frozen to a ice crystal only to be shattered into a million little pieces, unable to be retrieved and put back together in some semblance of the late Carla Jaeger. The pain that coincided with his mother's death left Eren trembling for 15 years.

His family's royal castle, immersed in the clouds, frozen and cracked.

All of his brothers and sisters murdered at the hand of a pale foe who perceived his family to be a threat.

He would kill them all.

All who _dare_ lay a malicious hand on his kin and loved ones.

And he wouldn't stop until they fall down.

"_Eren Jemal Seubert Jaeger._ You snap out of your reverie this instant and put an end to your rambunctious flames." Hissed Maestri Sebastian.

Eren's eyes shot open and left the young dragon wondering just when had they closed? He took in his surroundings and abruptly stood up straight when he realized that there was grass- green, lush, grass surrounding him; a fifty yard gap that was a stark contrast to the ever so white snow.

He couldn't see his grandfather at eye level and glanced upwards towards the sky until he spotted ruby red robes swishing and swaying with the breeze, black talons emitted from hands as big as him, and his Maestri, nearly quadrupled in size with a furious glare in the depths of his reptilian eyes.

"I-I do not-" Eren fumbled around for words because his power had never been so destructive.

"Child, shut your mouth." Maestri Seubert snapped, curling his enlarged black talons before releasing them.

"But-"

"_Dao goreith kilgarrayo, dragoniara._" know your place, dragon child Bellowed his grandfather, enormous black wings slowly unfolding themselves and robes flapping in the wind as the calm wintery breeze transformed into a a turbulent whirlwind.

Eren shrank back, his own sharp talons digging into the earth as he fell on his backside onto the grass in fear.

"_Hafidado, uyisan."_ Sorry, grandfather Eren gritted out, his past anger rekindled by the domineering threat hovering thunderously above his own eye of the brewing winter storm.

The slits of the Maestri's eyes widened to human standards and with a whish of his robes and a swoosh of the wind, the Maestri appeared before his daughter Carla's son, his own beloved grandson, with a grim frown.

"It is time. Noting the extent of your power now, at the tender age of 50 nonetheless, we must make haste in your practice, fledgling."

"I am far from a fledgling." Eren protested.

The Maestri grabbed Eren's chin with a steel grip and forced the boy to look upon his destruction of property stemmed out of his rare fire magic.

"Not even I have the power of the ancient fire-" Began Maestri Sebastian.

"But you use magic all the time? Powerful spells as well as telepathy." Eren interrupted, confused.

"Foolish dragon." The Maestri chided softly. "That is not fire magic. I thought I taught you as much but it seems that those field days in your godforsaken patch of flowers kill your already meager brain cells."

Eren bristled. "_Excuse me_. I can't help it if your voice makes me want to fucking-" His ear was pinched. "Shoot myself. I swear, it is like you _want_ to bore me to death!" The claws managed to dig into the cartilage of his upper ear with the reprimanding pinch.

"Motherfu...I mean, shit." Eren tried.

The Maestri just stared at the boy with a weary gaze. "Of all people to be blessed with the sacred power of the goddess of war, Nimuwai..." Eren felt the air dissipate, his lungs constrict. It was getting hard to breathe. "It had to be you." Finished the Maestri shaking his head in slight disbelief.

With a need to escape the looming responsibility thrusted upon him, Eren chuckled feebly.

"Called it." He joked, still in shock, trying to lighten the situation for he was never one for being dubbed as '_special_'.

The last thing Eren saw were ominous black clouds colliding and violating the plush white cumulonimbus's, a foreshadow of what was to come before he promptly fainted.

* * *

A hearty groan slipped past his lips, reverberating against the bare walls of his room. Eren hated his new bed space. There were no windows for him to peer out of whenever he pleased, there were no bright colours dashed along the walls from past attempts at renovation, and there were no memories of his mother laughing or his sister Mizti jumping on his fluffy bed like the brat she had been.

There was nothing sentimental. No material objects besides the aged oak dresser that was so enormous in size it was almost eight feet in width (he didn't even have that many clothes), the few scattered tables, and velvet lounge chair. His grandfather's vacation home, out in the Faryah Forests, was not used for jovial occasions. It was really an evacuation/emergency center for the noble, related to the reigning monarchy, Jaeger Clan, the last pure blooded Fire Hornbacks. The 'vacation' estate had only been used once before when the humans had recklessly slaughtered a newborn and his great-great-great grandmother had to flee to the castle from the Military Police after burning over thirty thousands peasants to a crisp.

His family was known for their brutal methods of achieving justice.

It was a common misconception. To a certain extent however, it was nothing but the truth. The details in the archival scrolls gave more verisimilitude than lecturers or Royal Scholars could ever offer. The Jaeger Clan's relationships, which also meant their image, both political and social had all fallen into the hands of his grandfather, Maestri Sebastian, High Priest of the Faryah Mountain when Carla was killed. Supposedly, all of the training Eren had succumbed to was for his rise into the head seat of the Jaeger Clan (it was only him and his grandfather now so the position was cast in the gray instead of the lime light). He would be the one in charge after a substantial amount of education and experience.

He had to at least wait another 150 years however, according to his grandfather.

Eren was not known for his patience as it was practically non-existent. So really the Jaeger Clan could kiss their so-so image goodbye and welcome one built of fear. There also was the gruesome fact that his family had been massacred because of politics and the dreaded Hyudratha Pass (controlled by the Jaeger Clan it was a major economic center and a magic-built canal that practically all of the magical world's revenue emerged from) so the desire to preserve a peaceful state of mind and accept their deaths was far from the revenge driven, blood-lusty plans Eren had in mind for the Frost Giants.

There was a loud thud. Maestri Sebastian had clunked a book on the desk. Apparently during his day dream, Eren had somehow traveled from his bed to the study, partaking in some classes instead of sleeping.

"Fu- Eren! Pay attention! Quit daydreaming about killing things-"

"Quit reading my aura, Grandpap." Eren snipped at the rude invasion of privacy.

His grandfather scoffed. "It is hardly any fault of mine that your _exuberant_ aura practically blinds me as well has blocking 5 of my 9 senses."

Eren blinked. "Well. That was quite the explanation. And don't be a drama queen, Grandpap. You know you only use seven senses." He retorted.

"It's more than those humans use, anyhow. I feel like you are implying that I am old." Maestri Sebastian narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Eren, who in turn shrugged uncaringly.

"Why would I imply something that is a known fact? You are old. 1757 years. That's old as balls, Grandpap." Eren lazily flipped a page in his alchemy book.

"How I have managed to not suffocate you with a pillow is beyond my comprehension." Muttered his Maestri in irritation.

Eren clucked his tongue. "You still love me to death." He smiled.

His grandfather turned his head to look out the window with a solemn expression, eyebrows crinkled in a deep sadness and resignation.

"That I truly do." He agreed. "Okay, so now into diplomacy, lord knows you'll need that."

"How about: no." Eren moaned. "Anything but diplomacy."

Maestri Sebastian pushed his spectacles roughly up the bridge of his nose. "Akarth help us all."

**T/N:**

**Yo. So I just really wanted dragon!Eren and Frost Giant!Levi. This is riren but it is also slow build. Comment? Uh. Yeah. First chapters are always super fucking short for me. I don't even know. Ugh. And about the dragon language, I kinda just slammed on my keyboard. Heh, creativity points? Over 9000. But that little song took me a minute to come up with. Kay toodles.**

**Next Chapter: Eren gets a proposition. (So vague, so vague)**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter Two: Y'lith_**

**_warning: NSFW_**

* * *

"So... Humans are who we receive our raw goods and clothing from-"

"That's right." Maestri Sebastian nodded sagely, ignoring the glare shot from his apprentice and grandson at his interruption.

"_Ahem_, like I was saying. The Fairies are who we get herbs and spells concerning the seasons and all things happy." Eren said sarcastically, ducking his head down in boredom as he reviewed the matter at hand: Economic Relations.

The Maestri took a suffering breath. "I swear to all things heavenly. Child, if you don't start becoming proactive in growing mature, being the next head of the Jaeger Clan will be a kick in the tush."

"Really," Eren pressed the back of his hand to his mouth to obscure his mocking laughter. "Tush?"

Maestri Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "I will assign you five times more calculus homework."

Eren rolled his eyes sassily. "Grandpap, I wouldn't even attempt to complete the assigned Calculus homework- I don't even do the homework's given to me now!" He frowned. "What the fuck is math anyways? Numbers and shit that a bunch of smart asses decided looked good together to the chagrin of the rest of the world."

Maestri Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows in thought and gave a sharp nod in agreement to Eren's rant.

"Math was created by humans." He informed smartly.

Eren cracked a toothy grin, his fangs poking his plump bottom lip. "That explains it all."

The Maestri laughed and bent down to ruffle Eren's mousy bed of chestnut hair. In the middle of a third ruffle, much to Eren's dislike, Maestri Sebastion stopped and eyed Eren curiously.

"You use the same conditioner as me, am I correct?" He questioned, rubbing on a lock of his grandson's hair.

Eren swatted the dragon's hand away and brought up a clawed hand to smooth down his untamable hair.

"First off, don't do that. It's a little bit dad awkward. Secondly, I shall never sate your curiosity as to what conditioner I use. Here's a hint, it's not the same as yours." Eren grinned impishly.

His grandfather observed him for a quiet, comfortable minute before turning on his heel, making his layers of priestly robes sway elegantly.

"Let's go over the names of all of the political figureheads one more time." He announced.

Eren elicited a groan at the direction but stood his ground. "Still not getting the name, Grandpap."

"Why do I even bother insisting you to call me by my title?" The Maestri rubbed his chin, feeling the little hairs that were growing there.

With a shrug, Eren flipped pages in his textbook at random. "Don't ask me, I sure as hell don't know."

"Rhetorical, Eren."

"I knew that." Eren scoffed and pulled his head down to hide the little tinge of embarrassment he felt.

"Uh huh, little dragon." The Maestri gave a small smile before returning to the lesson.

Eight weeks had passed since Eren's stunt with his empowered magic and the length of his training sessions with the Head Priest of Faryah Mountains nearly quadrupled. Seven hours per weekday, magical and flight endurance were the activities that consumed his time. Spells ranging from destructive to flat-out catastrophic (long story short, his grandfather had to replant and blossom the whole forest) and manipulation of the environment became Eren's strongest suits.

A few times in the past eight weeks, Eren had realized with a start that he had never been so knowledgable about himself and his power before. It stirred something anew inside of him: the knowledge of power. The thirst for more information regarding who he was and how he worked. It was a process that made Eren into some kind of soldier. A soldier defending his home and family name. However, it also benefitted him because it helped him find out important, meaningful things the easy way, without self-confrontation. The soaking in of all the academia proved that he wasn't worthless, that he wasn't a weakling who couldn't even save his family from ultimate death.

To Eren's horror though, bounties had been placed upon Maestri Sebastian and his head's. They were the last of their kind in the known worlds, the price for their scales, especially Eren's grandfathers was extremely high, tantalizing to those greedy for corrupt money. A few attacks had rained upon the two Fire Hornbacks but had been dealt with ease as Eren's rising forte was combat, more specifically hand to hand.

After his performance of snapping the necks of two hunters, his grandfather declared him ready for the next step when he observed with an uneasy stomach no hint of remorse on his grandson's youthful face.

Maestri Sebastian ordered him to transform into his true form, a 15 meter tall, black breasted with striking, translucent crimson scales dragon. That day, due to his four successful run throughs of laps and burning down some of the dead tress near the border of the forest, he had been given ambrosia with a slab of the finest raw meat available in the Faryah Forests.

_"This is nasty." Commented Eren as he begrudgingly took another bite of his extremely rare steak._

_The Maestri watched blood trickle down his grandson's chin eerily, reminiscing about the calm, unperturbed way Eren had rid of the two bounty hunters._

_"Eren, for once, filter your mouth and wipe your chin."_

_He barked. Eren gave a snort while reaching for his napkin that had ended up on the floor somehow._

_"Good luck with that, Grandpap_."

Weeks turned into months. Bounty hunters became groups of mercenaries. Eren's innocence was stolen and there was soon thick blood splattered on his ledger. The forests, bright, chipper, and full of life changed it's habitat with the changing seasons. Lessons on politics turned into lessons on how to read people, how to manipulate and be the domineering force in the room. Eren soon found that he could have quite the presence in a room if he really put his mind and body up to the task. It was important, for a dragon and for the next head of the Jaeger Clan, to have a powerful aura. Normally, Eren's aura composed of wrath and a child-like innocence that only pure hearts could withhold for so long (there was also lust but it awkward because, well, hormones in general). But as he grew and entered the stage of Y'lith, when dragons go through heat, wrath and lust took over his better senses.

To say that his first heat was awkward was the biggest underestimate of the fucking century. His ankles had to be strapped down by his grandfather, who approached the subject with an mature attitude, one achieved through experience and over 1700 years of heats himself, so that he wouldn't raid the town fifty miles south and attempt to ravish some village girls till they break.

"Just let me go!" He growled heatedly, pulling at the feet restraints, trying not to focus on the burning heat between his toned legs.

His grandfather shifted uncomfortably, years of experience could not prepare one for dealing with a 51 year old male dragon going through Y'lith.

"Darling, just bear with it for a couple more days. I- just do what you need to do to um... Get rid of that." The Maestri cleared his throat and tilted his head towards to the tent in his grandson's shorts.

Eren clenched his teeth. The raging dopamine and testosterone coursed through his veins unmercifully, making his mind fogged with unadulterated lust and need.

"I shall ask for their fucking consent, Maestri! Just get me something to fucking stick my dick in!" He nearly screamed and turned his trembling body over to bury his face into the soft pillow.

Digging his sharp canines into the pillow, Eren began to squirm against the hard mattress, anything to build the intoxicating friction that would soothe his rampant desire for a sexual touch, movement, _anything_.

"That would be my cue." The Maestri stated rapidly as he fled out of the room, locking the door swiftly and flying down the stairs into a safer, less heated area of the castle.

Arching his back and pressing his heat into the mattress, Eren swiveled his hips and moaned lowly at the spark that followed. He stared moving his curved hips back an forth, clawing at the headboard when the voracious grinding became too much for him to bear.

He paused his his passionate actions and flipped over, mindful of the confining straps around his ankles, and thrusted up once in the cold air, his entire back side leaving the bed with zeal.

"_Oh_." Eren let loose a high pitched moan and lifted up his hips once more, this time his groping hand accompanying him, grabbing his leaking pink member and squeezing it with renewed vigor.

His mouth flew open at the sensation, never before had he attempted to masturbate, never before had he ever wanted to partake in such a lewd action. Thrashing his head back and forth, Eren sped up his ministrations, coating his hand in pre-cum, drowning in the delirious lust that shocked him with every thrust, every slick glide down his hard shaft from his dirtied hand.

Flinging his head back, Eren squeezed his eyes shut. A electrifying feeling had built up in the pit of his stomach; he had no idea what it meant. One of his claws tugged on the foreskin of his cock, eliciting a loud whine that sounded pornographic at the least and caused more pre-cum to overflow from the slit of his over-simulated dick.

Perverted, sexual noises of skin slapping on skin and squelching wet sounds that only managed to spur Eren on filled the room, filled the young fire dragon's ears.

"Ah, ah, _mmm_." Eren bit his bottom lip, breaking the skin. Steam erupted from the wound and Eren's body temperature reached new heights, causing the boy to go into a override.

Droplets of clear sweat trickled down his face as he let out an sinful moan once more. The fire in his belly and groin, his trembling thighs, the noises produced, his ravenous thoughts that had him imagining inciting legs dripping with cum and rosy mouths pleasuring him, lapping up the thick essence that erupted from his cock, all drove Eren into an intense orgasm- his first orgasm.

He continued to lazily move his hand up and down, squeezing the base and tip of his own cock, coaxing the pearly white fluid out of his body while feeding the hunger and pleasure he craved oh so much.

Spent and in a post-orgasmic haze, Eren felt his body cool down and his spotted eye sight soon return to him in full. He stayed strewn on his bed for a good ten minutes, basking in the utterly wrecked way he felt and probably looked.

"Fuck. Where've you b-been all my life." Eren groaned to no one in general as he lifted himself up off the bed and headed towards the washroom.

Taking a quick glance at himself in the mirror, Eren looked shamefully at the cum caressing his body, gliding down his flat stomach and collarbone, smothered all over his chest and still hardened nipples. He wasn't one for partaking in selfish actions like staring at oneself in mirrors but he couldn't deny the strength he felt, the rising control he had over himself and possibly others in the future. The wrecked look was really working for him.

A curt knock made the dragon's head snap up and rush in cleaning himself.

"Just a min- minute!" Eren squeaked, embarrassment washing over him now that some other individual would be able to decipher the overindulgence he participated in.

There was a pained sigh from the outside and Eren practically threw on a substantially clean pair of shorts and an incredibly loose pajama top. Trotting over to the broad door, situating his dick in a more comfortable position in his too short for his taste bottoms, Eren flung open the door, unmindful of the smell of sex that wafted sensually throughout his room.

His grandfather stood ramrod straight in his doorway. Sniffing the air, Maestri Sebastian took a polite step back and averted his eyes from his grandson's frame.

"I see that you... Helped yourself get out of a hard situation?" The Maestri cracked a small grin, trying to wipe the aura of shame and embarrassment off Eren.

Eren outright laughed, a pale yellow seeping into the bright pink of his aura.

"Are you fucking kidding me? It's too early for puns, Grandpap." He giggled whilst dodging the reprimanding spell with a graceful side step.

"Eren." Called the Maestri.

"Yes, Grandpap?"

"You have a visitor." Replied Maestri Sebastian. "From the Royal City." He said calmly.

Eren braced himself on the doorway. The Y'lith heat momentarily forgotten as terror and confusion compromised his lightened disposition.

"W-what do you mean?" He shook his head in bewilderment.

A visit from the Royal City was not something to be taken lightly.

"Why are they here? Is this about the killings? Are they going to take me away?" Eren progressively got angrier as each word left his mouth.

"Eren-" Maestri Sebastian tried.

"Are they going to take me away?" He repeated, the fear of being confined worsened with each unwanted thought. "I don't want to be chained-"

"Darling, please listen-"

"They can't keep me in those rusted chains of corrupt justice. Nobody can fucking cage me, grandfather. I won't let them. You can never hope to chain a dragon to stone walls without any retaliation." Eren fumed, embers of the flame flickering past his fingertips, smoke inhaled in his flaring nostrils.

The Maestri eyes changed colors, azure to the sea green, the colors of his grandson's own eyes.

Tranquility spell after tranquility was passed, each bouncing off the hardening protective shield forming around the young Fire Hornback's body. After a couple of tries, the Maestri felt a blistering heat touch his skin and he held back an enraged snarl, Eren had a taken ahold of his wrist, pressing deep into the older's bone.

"What do they want with me? The Royal City has never had the need to visit us before. You know what this means, even I fucking know what this means." Eren's slitted sea-green eyes flashed red. "Those greedy pigs want something. They want something of ours and the fact that they traveled all the way out here, to my Clan's hidden castle, tells me that they won't stop pestering until they get it- Grandfath-"

A roar. A deep, ringing _bellow_ that shook Eren to his very core, shook the walls, shook the entirety of the castle and the unwelcomed horses outside. Adrenaline shot though his body like a surge of electricity. It wasn't the sexual adrenaline he had felt naught but twenty minutes ago, it was pure terror and stubbornness.

His grandfather stood in front of him, cradling his mutilated, burnt wrist. The skin had been melted, due to Eren's relentless grasp on the Maestri. The white bone was gruesomely visible, it's clarity a stark contrast to the never ending waterfalls of red blood that streamed onto the floor, seeping through the oak floors and staining the wood until it was replaced.

A horrified gasp escaped his lips and Eren violently yanked his hand back, the one marred with his last living relative's blood and flesh.

"Ma-Maestri, I-I..." Eren shrunk back under the incensed pure black slits.

His grandfather spoke no words, the need to control his anger was the chief priority as of that moment. The Maestri mearly watched his grandson's facial expressions, from horror to incredibly grief. The pang of sorrow he felt omitted from Eren was enough alone to soothe his murderously high-strung nerves.

Maestri Sebastian took a deep breath and took a step forward towards the frightened dragon cowering in the corner. However, like when dealing with scared kitten, one must take cautious steps, calculated steps and not scare the animal anymore.

The wood underneath the High Priest creaked loudly and Maestri Sebastian muttered a string of vulgarities under his breath.

Eren darted down the hallway with unnatural speed.

"Wait, Darling!" The Maestri yelled, using his hand to wave away the billowing cloud of smoke from his halfway healed wrist.

The older dragon stomped down the hallway, cursing his horrid luck. Cursing the Royal Advisor, Erwin Smith and his accursed guards that trudged their way up his mountain and into his abode. He cursed that Y'lith had fallen upon his grandson at the worst of times. He cursed Eren's lack of regard towards his appearance because there was still some leftover semen displayed on his teenage grandson's prevalent collarbone. Most of all however, he cursed his grandson's unfortunate trait of walking into the beast's domain.

Eren had stomped, bright red flames raging with every step, consequently burning the pliant wood beneath, towards the courtyard, were the Maestri had placed his uninvited, most unwanted royal guests.

The Maestri wiped a bead of cold perspiration from the back of his neck. His mangled wrist now restored to its original healthy state but Eren's, a child that could spout wisdom that would put some of his contemporaries to shame, words echoed in his mind.

_"Those greedy pigs want something. They want something of ours and the fact they they traveled all the way out here, to my Clan's hidden castle, tells me that they won't stop pestering until they get it."_

Azure fire burst out of the Maestri's nose. A feeling of dread took ahold of his fast-beating heart. It couldn't be his time yet, he hadn't taught Eren to the fullest capacity. He had not told his grandson '_I love you_' enough. In all his 1757 years, Sebastian Jaeger felt selfishness for the first time.

He didn't want to leave.

"What the fuck? Who the hell are you, assholes?" A confused shout rang down the halls and the Maestri sliced the air with his scarred wrist.

"Goddamnit, Eren." He huffed, albeit lovingly because it was after all, Eren.

* * *

Eren stood rigidly in front of the eight strange men. At first, his initial reaction was one of instinct. He always seemed to approach strangers with a threatened aura. However, the jewels sparkling in the dim sunlight, the decorated saddles and properly groomed pegasus's answered all the questions Eren had concocted.

"The Royal Advisor and his lackeys, huh?" Eren snarled, uncaring of the offended stance the guards took.

He was mainly focused on the tall stature of the broad-chested advisor, the only one of the group with any real power.

"You must be the Head Priest's grandson, Eren." The Advisor with the honeyed blond hair and the sculpturesque face with sapphire eyes smiled coyly at him.

Eren had a feeling that even without the blazing effects of _Y'lith_ this man could have him on his knees whenever, wherever.

But then the man spoke.

Manipulation flowed from his tongue and flooded Eren's sensitive ears. The advisor might be a gorgeously built and handsome sorcerer but hiding his true self under a cloak of deceit and lies was nothing to be desired.

"That's _Lord_ Eren to you, sorcerer." Eren hissed, discreetly trembling when a cold burst of air hit his overly sensitized skin.

The Advisor's eyes widened in surprise and a few indignant cries came from his chosen protectors at the blatant lack of respect before his smile turned into one of genuine amusement.

'_Fuck. I think I'm gayer than I thought.' _Eren suffered internally and hoped the urges of _Y'lith_ would cease to rampage just until the group of men left.

"Please forgive my insolence, Lord Eren." The advisor all but purred.

Eren's thighs shook and he hastily look for an escape route.

"You fucking lecher." He said, slightly disgusted at the tone the advisor was using. "Go sweet talk someone your age."

Swiveling around, Eren desperately looked for his grandfather. _'The one who I could have seriously injured even more if I kept my grip, yeah. That one.'_ He thought grimly.

"Eren!" Came the awaited call.

Eren took a deep breath, felt a weight lift off of his shoulders and nearly sprinted towards his towering guardian. The Maestri took one glance at his grandson and swiftly whipped off his robe and wrapped the young dragon's willowy body in it, like a cocoon.

The boy looked up with pleading eyes and flushed cheeks. The Maestri ran a large hand over his face in exasperation. It was always him.

"Eren, darling. You need to withhold your hormones for just a few hours. Just until these sorcerers leave, please?" The Maestri looked sympathetically at his charge.

"I am about to cream my fucking _booty shorts_... Oh my god you let me come out looking like a prostitute." Eren glared at him accusingly, the blush on his cheeks spreading steadily.

"Really? _Really_?"

With a aversion of his eyes, the Maestri took faux interest in a budding rose bush.

"I tried to speak but lord, Eren. Your stubbornness knows no end!" The Maestri rubbed his wrist. "Brash, obstinate, head-strong. You are going through heat, young dragon! Do not just strut around showing your- your '_stuff_'! Watch where you are going!" The Maestri said in frustration.

"Strutting my stuff? Don't say that shit to me, Grandpap." Eren protested with attitude.

The Maestri turned to see the advisor glancing their way unabashedly and shut, only to reopen, his eyes.

"Now you are stuck out here. I will cast a calming spell to quell your lust. It will not last though. When the need arises once more, just excuse yourself." Notified the Maestri in a unquestioning time.

Eren held back a shiver and hoped to Akarth that the slick wetness between his legs was just imagined.

"Yes, Maestri."

The pair headed back to the waiting loiterers. Maestri Sebastian was able to cast three calming spells, each of varying degrees, on Eren until the limit was reached.

Eren, on the other hand, felt significantly better. The insatiable desire drifting brazenly throughout his body died down, relieving him of his well hidden erection.

"Advisor to King Pixis of the Hidden Kingdoms, Erwin Smith." Maestri Sebastian formally called out the sorcerer's title and courteously held out a sharp clawed hand. "It is a pleasure."

Erwin took the Maestri's hand in his own. The Dragon Priest enveloped the sorcerer's hand and Eren relished in the pride-wounded look Erwin let slip past his diplomatic mask.

"I believe we have met before, Lord Eren." Erwin tilted his head in a much more dignified manner than before. "The pleasure is mine."

Eren stood up straighter despite knowing he looked about as threatening as a soaked kitten with the way his grandfather's robe continued to fall of his shoulders and how the regal fabric practically consumed him.

The young dragon narrowed his eyes at the advisor. "If I may ask. Fuck it-"

"Eren." Hissed Maestri Sebastian.

"Oops sorry. Anyways, why are you here and more importantly, how did you get past the barriers?" He asked darkly.

Erwin didn't seemed miffed unlike Maestri Sebastian. Instead, the handsome sorcerer gave a acknowledging nod, like he was expecting the hostile question even before he came.

"This castle had been on the maps for many years. It's whereabouts have been known for quite some time, the King just has never ordered any of his soldiers to travel here. Besides that, Fire Dragon, the barriers around this castle were not complete." Erwin turned towards the Maestri with calculating eyes. "Did something occur recently that hindered your magical ability?"

The Maestri sniffed the air in annoyance.

"Prying into my business, hm?"

He waved his hand in the air. Sparks of neon green electricity following the path of the hand as it circled once and as the palm opened to reveal currents of vivid green magic, rushing over the edge of the palm of the Maestri's hand and lighting the air around them. Eren took a cautious step back even though he was as curious as to what the Maestri was doing as Advisor Erwin was. As soon as the hand dropped back to Maestri's side, suddenly, a invisible curtain that had been draped across the castle lifted up and the air instantly felt clearer, fresher, _sultry_.

"Oh my god." Eren choked and collapsed on the ground as his heat returned full force. His arms and legs become jelly, twitching lightly as he writhed on the ground. Lust hazed his vision and he felt saliva trickle down his chin. Distantly he heard frantic pleads to place the covering spell back up over the soft whimpers flooding from his mouth.

Just as quick as the spell had been removed, it was cast once more. The hunger subsided within the young dragon with the return of the spell. Toppled with the calming enchantments, his heat had been basically tamed.

After regaining his senses, Eren roughly turned around from his spot on the ground and mustered up the nastiest face he could create towards his grandfather. The Maestri had the audacity to look smug but the common sense to look ashamed as well.

"So Advisor, now you know what '_hinders my ability'_ to perform as well as the King knows I am able to." The Maestri refused to look Eren's way.

The Advisor had the decency to appear uncomfortable and ashamed as well. "I-well. A simple warning instead of demonstration could have worked, Maestri." He said with a withering look.

Both males refused to look at Eren, who was still crumpled on the ground.

With a large breath of air and a puff from the amount of energy it required for him to actually sit up after the rather traumatizing event, Eren crossed his arms but kept his legs shut to keep the smell of sex contained.

"So you two are just going to ignore the real victim here, _me_, while you have some freaky battle for dominance? And gran- _Maestri_ Sebastian. Be the figurehead that you are and help me the fuck up." Eren seethed, holding out a hand for his grandfather to clasp and tug.

Advisor Erwin bowed his head. "Lord Eren-"

"Just Eren. You've already seen me in the throes of pleasure so just throw formalities out the window." Eren interrupted testily.

The Advisor held back a grin while Maestri Sebastian just groaned tiredly. A few chuckles came from the group of standing soldiers as well.

"Head Priest and Eren." Advisor Erwin saluted them both. "I am afraid we got off to a bad start. You see, I am here for the sole purpose of the recruitment of Eren Jaeger into the Scouting Legion."

Eren blinked. "Wait what?"

"Pray tell me, Lord Erwin. What had brought on this absurd request? Has Pixis finally gone mad like all human sorcerers do? Or is this just arrogance? Thinking you can parade into my territory with your fancy horses and dolled up guards and request my grandson to be a dog of the state?" Smoke emerged from the nostrils of the Maestri's nose.

"We are dragons. We might reside within Pixis's useless kingdom but we are a separate entity. You cannot actually think that you fools can control us."

Eren, reading his grandfather's aura and sensing the troubling build up of wrath, stepped in front of the older dragon, eying the Advisor with a look beyond his years.

"How old are you, Lord Erwin?"

"229 years old, Dragon." answered Erwin with guarded eyes. The Maestri's words had offended him deeply.

"Why do you want me?" It was a whisper. A whisper with undertones of shock, surprise, and fury. "Why come all this way?"

Erwin smiled once more, this time however the smile was cold- frosted. "We have heard of your great power, young Priest of Nimuwai."

The Maestri's eyes bore a hole into Erwin's head.

"How?" Eren questioned, the violation of privacy irking him.

"Eren, your power, when used, is felt by all. The Frost Giants know, the King knows, whenever you transform, a volcano erupts in the human world. Sweet one, there is no possible way for you to hide the power that's inside. It's a gift for the Goddess of War. A hope for the magical world." A bright light shined in the Advisor's austere eyes. The lily-white light of wholesome hope.

Erwin walked over to Eren and grabbed the young male's hands in his own. He was careful not to come into contact with the dragon's claws.

With a suppressed shiver, Eren let out a sinuous sob. "That's not a good idea."

Immediately letting go, Erwin apologized hastily before bending down onto his right knee and looked up at Eren with a desperate expression.

Eren knew that this would be the only time he would ever see this structured man, of such power and influence, beg for his support.

"Eren Jaeger, you have the blessed power of the Goddess of War. You are one of the last two Fire Hornback's alive in the known universe. The Frost Giants have taken your family, the prestige of your name, your blood ties away. They have murdered the villagers under your protection. They have threatened your grandfather on numerous occasions and even you."

Eren gasped. The fact the Frost Giants had disrespected his grandfather with heedless threats was something he did not know.

"In order to take back the Hidden Kingdom's lands in the north, to save humanity from destruction by the devilish arctic wind, to preserve peace in the worlds and save the Ice Dragons who have fallen victim, and to destroy the Frost Giants and their strongest, Adrimal Levi, will you join the Royal Elite Guard: the Scouting Legion as the Head Priest of the Hidden Kingdom?"

It was out before he knew it. Wrath had taken over. He had heard of Admiral Levi before, from his lessons. The giant was the definition of frost. Admiral Levi was also the monster who ordered the death of his family. The lust from _Y'lith_ warped into something toxic. A lust for the lives of those who caused him and his fellow magic peoples pain. A lust to have Adrmial Levi's, Jotenheim's Strongest, blood on his hands.

_"Yes."_

From the side, Maestri Sebastian shut his eyes in despair. He had seen this day coming from the moment Eren had been conceived. The boy was destined to be more than his apprentice but the loss of the last living gift from his daughter, Carla, left an empty hole in his heart.

He knew that without Eren's power, his barrier was not strong enough to stand alone against the Frost Mages of the Jotenheim Giants who had been planning to raid the Faryah Forests from the start of the war.

He knew that it was his end. But it was also Eren's beginning.

"When do I start?"

Erwin took a unsteady breath inwards, hope was restored.

"Right now, milord."

* * *

**_A/N:_**

**_I can't write anything sexual. ugh. Comments are highly welcome! I hope you enjoyed. I am really excited for this fic and to the people who reviewed, thank you. Every thought counts. _**

**_(This fic is unbeta'd so any mistakes are my own.)_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3: Fucking Problems_**

Eren left the castle covered with millennia old vines. He left the bleak rooms and monotonous walls that made him shiver with every step he took. He left his grandfather all alone in a place that held so many memories and but at the same time so few.

He left the last vestiges of his family. Of his race.

Erwin had waited by the eight horses with an expectant expression, standing tall and buzzing with newfound purpose as Eren agreed to swear himself into the Scouting Legion and all that the branch stood for.

The gathering of his clothes was a swift packaging. Eren took nothing else but his reliable old leather boots and his four pairs of pajama shorts. It would be quite the adventure getting shorts meant for teenage girls at the market so the bottoms went into the small bag reluctantly.

Erwin had informed him that, seeing as he would be the new Head Priest, a new wardrobe was in his future.

Before hopping on a guard named Hannes's horse, Eren turned with an aching heart towards his grandfather. Already, he felt the brutal pull of blood ties being torn apart and suddenly everything hurt. His face scrunched up in pain, as did his grandfather's. No amount of years nor experience could prepare one for the inevitable loss of a loved one.

The Maestri glided over to his grandson, giving him a crushing hug and a solid kiss on the temple, not giving a damn if a small droplet of saliva trickled past his lips.

"I know I said I love you to death, Eren. But I want it to be crystal clear that I will still love you during and after my death. I want you to know that there will always be someone who loves you, whether they are in this world or in the heavens is irrelevant. "

Eren nuzzled his grandfather's cheek. An sign of affection for Dragons alike. "I love you too, Grandpap." Eren reassured quietly.

Horses whinnied in the background and one of the guards shouted at Eren that they were ready when he was.

Eren pulled back from the tight embrace and leaned forward on his tippy toes to give a small peck on his grandfather's cheek.

"It is time." The Maestri smiled with grief. "If you don't fight, Eren. You will never win. So fight for what you believe is right. Even if it seems like there is no hope left, you keep moving forward. Understand, darling?"

Eren nodded grimly. "The world is a cruel place." He said lowly, nuzzling his grandfather once more before taking his luggage and the potions that would help curb Y'lith towards the horses.

"Be safe, my child." Called the Maestri one last time as Eren expertly hopped into a saddle.

Eren nodded in acknowledgement and gave one last smile before the Advisor announced the group's departure. Making room for the soldier named Hannes, Eren scooted up on the saddle and made clear to not touch him because of Y'lith and _'I am perfectly capable of riding and steering a horse, Sir Hannes.'_

"Kid, don't use 'sir'. Makes me feel old, ya hear?" Hannes drawled out. "Ya sure yur a dragon and not a princesa?"

Two soldiers in the back of the formation let out poorly hidden laughter. Eren bristled at the title used in such a degrading context.

"Do not test me, _Sir_ fucking Hannes. Excuse me, but I have a feeling you don't want to be jumped by a fifty seven year old Fire Hornback that apparently has epic powers, now do you?"

Hannes snorted in surprise. "Woah there, milord. Nobody's gunna jump one anoth'r. Sorry if I dun offended you."

Eren returned his attention to the path up ahead, ignoring the Advisor's ever watchful gaze. It wasn't that Hannes was a bad person. It was the damn hormones that the potions his grandfather had given him barely suppressed. The tumultuous emotions of Fire Hornbacks were not doing him any favors concerning his social life.

"Ugh." Eren settled with because at the moment, it was the perfect description of how he was feeling.

"Lord Eren? Pardon my last. Eren." Spoke the Advisor.

Eren sagged forward minutely, not wanting to appear immature or worse, regretful, he quickly sat up straight and adjusted himself to the movement of the horse.

"Yes, uh. Erwin?" He said, hopeful that he had gotten the name right. Erwin gave a small smile, relinquishing Eren of his fears that he had, in fact, already forgotten the name of his recruiter.

"The ride to the castle will only take two hours." He informed, his appearance grand even with being on a horse.

Eren turned his torso around so that he was looking at Erwin in the full, earning complaints from Hannes. Something about blocking his eyesight with '_that damned nest of hair.'_

"But the castle is two days away?" Eren pondered at the strange statement. "At least that's what I estimated from the map at Maestri Sebastian's home."

Erwin absentmindedly stroked the head of his horse, digging his military cut nails into the hair gently. "There is a warp tunnel set up." He said calmy, gauging the dragon's reaction at the unsettling news.

"What did you just say?" Eren whispered, dangerously quiet.

Hannes squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "Now now, ya two goons. Let's not get in a huff. I don't wanna get my pretty face messed up when firecracker ov'r here blows a gasket. Or combusts?" He added unsurely at the end.

Eren shook his head at the soldier behind him and tried to ignore the ignorance shown about knowledge of Fire Dragons.

"Are you telling me that you, under orders I presume, have set up a warp tunnel not thirty miles away from my home? Do you understand the dangers that you have forced upon us?" Eren fumed at the thought of his grandfather's castle being raided by enemies, or worse: Frost Giants.

With a hard stare, Erwin seemed to sit up straighter, his aura turning a deep purple. The Advisor emitted dominance and power, leaving Eren under threat. "It had to be done. If something were to happen in this vast forest, not to mention this is the land where all of our wood and gems come from, the Hidden Kingdom would have to find a way to march and instill control quickly." Erwin spoke in an all business tone. There was no sympathy, only logic.

A man hardened by war and politics.

Eren bared his fangs, mindful of Hannes who looked short of jumping off the horse. "It had to be done, my ass. There are other ways of asserting authority and stability than messing with the Faryah Forest's ecosystem with warp tunnels." Eren eyes flicked red. "If your kingdom's incompetent military had done it's job correctly at the Battle of Trost Highlands, this kingdom would not even be in a war."

_My family would not be dead._

Rage flashed in the blond sorcerer's eyes and the advisor yipped, bringing his horse into a gallop and jerking to a slower pace as he was parallel to Eren's own horse.

"Incompetent? Your words are spoken rashly and without proper knowledge. You speak of an incompetent army, young dragon. That is _wrong_." Eren could tell by the stray strand of hair let loose from the neatly combed back head of hair that he had struck a nerve. Hard.

"Your insolence shows your true age. Might I remind you that the incompetent army you speak of is now your own. Our army lacks hope, Eren. Our army lacks that final push that would have us tearing up the battlefields, yelling _'victory is ours!'_" Erwin clenched his jaw. "Understand that you are the final piece in our plan to defeat the Frost Giants. All the others have been placed on the chessboard."

Eren gulped, embarrassed at his crash words. "Is that so?"

The advisor tugged the loose hair back, reverting into his collected self once more. "Yes. Yes it is." He answered.

Eren returned to a proper sitting position and fixed his gaze on the edge of the dirt road, the exotic foliage of the forest shimmering in the sunlight.

"That's alot of weight on my shoulders, Erwin." He said frankly.

Erwin grimaced while one of the solider's in the rear, behind Hannes's and his horse, Dita, chuckled sadly.

"The weight of the world, dear boy."

* * *

The entrance to the warp tunnel was secluded, a far ways from the safety of the High Kingsroad. Invasive vines curled up the edges of the tunnel and black flowers, the life being sucked out of them, were wasted away at the foot of the magical passageway.

Erwin went first, not sparing Eren one look because the sorcerer knew that there would be a glare filled with disgust at the environmental wreckage the warp tunnel had caused.

It was then Hannes's and his turn.

"Okay, laddie. Ease this beast inna it. The horses tend to get a little frighten'd of the dark." Hannes instructed.

Eren set the horse into a slow pace, approaching the tunnel with caution. Halfway through however, the horse whinnied loudly and reared up in defiance, causing Hannes to cling onto Eren, who instantly froze at the contact.

"_Hannes_." He sputtered, growing redder by the second. _Y'lith_ was a nasty bitch to behold and experience.

Hannes flung his arms from Eren's sides immediately as the horse's hooves touched the ground.

"Please excuse my actions, milord. I dinna mean to rile ya up. I mean, with your heat an' all." Hanes scratched the back of his head.

Eren mentally screamed in embarrassment. "Hannes, shut up. And don't say that out loud."

The soldier sighed. "You donna have to ask me twice, laddie."

Dita, the guard from the back, threw an acorn at Hannes, hitting the mustard haired soldier in the ear. "Quit yappin' the High Priest's pointy dragon ears off and get Lyae in that goddurn tunnel, Hannes!" Yelled Dita sourly.

Eren sniggered while Hannes shot back with expletives the dragon had never heard before. Leading the horse once more into the mouth of the dark cavern, Eren soothed Lyae once she started to spaz out again.

Bringing a hand up, Eren flexed his claws and summoned up the brutal power within him. At his command, a dark crimson flame spewed from the palm of his hand, silencing the bickering soldiers at once. Sparks of orange, gold, and cerulean flickered in the air like stars exploding as the flame rose, casting rays of light on the shadows that lurked along the opening of the warp tunnel. The horse returned to trotting gaily along now that the light of Eren's flame granted her some peace.

"Well I'd be damned." Eren heard Hannes whisper in awe. "That's the prettiest thing I ever seen."

Eren scoffed even though the flush of his cheeks gave away his true feelings. "Nonsense."

Into the warp tunnel they went, the flame kindled in Eren's hand leading the way.

Flashes of the galaxies. Shooting stars. Colliding asteroids. Nebulas shimmering. Star giants exploding as their time ended. Planets rotating with the flow of the universe, the bearer of all. Glowing auroras of violets, yellows, reds, blues, greens, pinks flashed before his eyes in an instant, so speedily that Eren was left wondering if he even saw them at all. He felt his body lurch forward as Lyae went into a brisk trot. Sunlight assaulted him for all directions, the force that fresh air hit him nearly left the young dragon breathless. Eren didn't even realize he had broached and left the warp tunnel until he blinked and saw Erwin resting under a towering maple tree.

The advisor cracked a smile. "I was wondering when you seven would finally pass. I've been waiting for a good thirty minutes now."

Eren openly gaped. "What?" He exclaimed, extremely confused. "We were in there for a couple of seconds!"

He heard Dita chuckle from behind him. "No milord, travel by warp tunnel depen's on the length ya destination is from your point of arrival."

The soldier named Raynard continued. "That warp tunnel takes about 15-20 minutes to pass."

"We are still improving it's efficiency." Erwin added. Eren let out a pleased laugh.

"That was simply amazing." He turned to Erwin with slit eyes. "My position on the matter still stands however."

Hannes chuckled. "I like ya, kid. You got a feisty attitude."

Erwin seemed less enthusiastic but agreed nevertheless. "He is a Jaeger."

Only a few praises away from his ego boosting up a level, Eren practically glowed; throwing his nose up in the air haughtily, he maneuvered his horse closer to Erwin's.

"Which way to the Royal City, Lord Erwin?" Eren asked, adding the older sorcerer's title out of manners.

Erwin seemed to understand this shift in familiarity. It was improper to call someone by their first name, no honorifics, in their line of work. Only with that specific person's permission-and in private- would it be acceptable.

"Men, guide your horses north and advance." Erwin commanded, lifting up his reins to spur his horse into an all out run.

"Yes sir!" Eren and the other soldiers yelled as they followed suit.

His life as a soldier had officially begun. Now all that was left was his coronation as the Hidden Kingdom's Head Priest. Eren felt his heart swell as the group sped through the Forest of the Lone King. A soldier. He, the no good son- always getting into fights and burning draperies- was a soldier in the infamous Scouting Legion. The soon to be High Priest.

_'Mom, would you be proud of me?_

_Even if I failed you._

_I couldn't save you._

_I don't know what hurts the most, my failure as a son or the fact that I saw you die and could do nothing.'_

Avenge.

The word had been branded into his bones with the fiery iron of hate the moment he saw blue giants with contemptuous, soulless black eyes, stand amidst the gory sight of his mother.

The massive trees of the forest swayed with the wind, chanting, provoking with every swish of the leaves, whispering little nothing's into Eren's alert ears as he flew past on Lyae.

We see you, little dragon.

_'Your soul is black, but your virtue is intact; your heart is gold, and our rhymes speak of futures foretold.'_

We hear you, little dragon.

_'Your fingers are flame-nobody but war is to blame; your mind crazed red, because you grieve the family that is dead.'_

We feel you, little dragon.

It was Mitch from the right flank that spoke first. "Hey boss, what is our ETA?" He pressured, darting his eyes around the unearthly forest edgily.

Erwin suppressed a smile at his solider's childish unease. "Our estimated time of arrival is about 30 minutes. Be at ease, Lieutenant Mitch, if you do not disrupt the spirits of the forest they will not disrupt you." He said amusedly.

Eren felt a tap on his shoulder, light and entirely polite of his situation. He turned to face his passenger. "Yes?"

Hannes looked at him weirdly. "You okay, milord? Ya ears be twitchin' mighty alot." The soldier sounded worried.

Showcasing a petite smile, Eren ignored the weary stares in his direction and patted his ears down, feigning embarrassment.

"I am perfectly fine. Must be that I am subconsciously nervous or something silly like that." He lied.

Erwin and his squad of guards didn't need to know what he was hearing. Eren didn't even want to hear the trees and their sagacious bullshit. Some business was his own, and just like Erwin and his men had things that they kept to themselves, Eren did too.

"You hear the trees." It wasn't a question. It was a keen observation on the Advisor's behalf.

Stiffening, Eren said not but a word and hoped the subject would drop. He was not comfortable with sharing his past and personal issues with the man yet. The Advisor stared knowingly at Eren, but respected the dragon's wishes because if his knowledge was accurate, dragons were incredibly-intolerably-stubborn creatures. He wouldn't get a sound out of Eren as young Fire Hornback was already showing traits of a stubbornness the was otherworldly in strength.

The thirty minutes passed slowly for Eren, mostly because of the never-ending chatter of the trees. Once the eight reached the border, the Hidden Kingdom was in sight; the magnificent, colossal walls looming over the kingdom like a protective shield from the cruel enemies outside.

Stone.

The walls were stone.

Enormous.

The enormity of the walls was incomprehensible to Eren for a while. He couldn't stop thinking about the labor required for this amazing feat. When he was younger, his grandfather had told him stories about the Hidden Kingdom, he had never seen it before in the flesh, only in storybooks and history textbooks. His whole life had been spent in his parent's castle and the ghetto down the mountain. A free place it was. He could leave his house, with permission, whenever. Play in the streams of freshwater, in the overgrown flower fields until his bones seemed to drag.

Never in his life had he seen a cage as big as the Hidden Kingdom.

Eren took a shuddering breath. This was his home now.

Time to make new memories.

* * *

Erwin stepped up the grand marble steps leading to the throne meant for the reigning monarch of the Hidden Kingdom.

"Your Royal Majesty, this is Eren Jaeger. Eren-"

Eren bowed courteously, his left arm swooping out from under him in a hemisphere before coming back and being placed upon the small of his back.

"Your highness, King Pixis. It is a pleasure to meet you." Eren greeted in a soft tone.

He wanted to make a good impression on the king. The last thing that Eren wanted King Pixis to find out was that he was a 51 year old Fire Hornback with a mouth even a sailor would fret at and anger issues so massive he put the monsters of the Golath Sea to shame.

King Pixis stared down at him, his probing eyes pin-pointing every outward weakness and observing the young dragon's stance. While he was in a submissive bow, as the King had not yet told Eren to stand up, the boy had an aura that shone brighter and more sinister than anyone else in the Hall of Divine Right. The complexion of the young dragon was just like his mother's, smooth, caramel, with the luster of raw beauty. His body was well-defined, more willowy than anything, but thick leg muscles were apparent.

_'Nothing that a little training can't fix.' _Thought the King as he turned from Eren and towards the omniscient advisor, who regarded the King with an expression that said he thought the same thing.

He nodded in gratitude, the sorcerer had completed his task flawlessly.

_"Coax the beast from his cage in the deep forests and bring him to our own. The future of the Kingdom rests on the results and success of this demand, Erwin. Complete it or you shall be demoted."_

"By all means, stand, Lord Jaeger." King Pixis chuckled. "I hear that you have agreed to help preserve the safety and posterity of this kingdom by joining the Scouting Legion." Pixis raised an eyebrow at Eren, impressed. "Lord Jaeger, do you know how many people die each time that horrific branch leaves the walls? Over a thousand at the most, and depending on how many we sent out." King Pixis told Eren grimly, the wrinkles on his face more severe as he frowned.

"You are prepared to sacrifice yourself-"

Eren interrupted the king, he had enough of the old sorcerer's word crap.

"Do not take me for a coward." Venom leaked out of his voice as he glared violently at the King. "I would be willing to sacrifice myself a thousand times over to be able to get my claws on a fucking frost giant." The King regarded him, eyes wide and speechless.

"Do you know what they did to my family? They fucking murdered and raped them, in front of me-in cold blood. Those are the foulest sins you can commit upon a dragon. The death proximities of your people do not send me into a corner, cowering like a fool. I did not agree to your vengeful plan solely to protect your people. I agreed for two reasons. One being so I could kill all of those fucking frost giants and make them suffer like they made me."

Eren panted in exhaustion, he had not taken a single breath during his rant and there was a condensed cloud of smoke hovering above the pillars holding the dome together.

Crimson flames licked his legs, arms, and lovingly caressed his face as if to say _I'm home!_ There was a circle of grainy black soot around the space where he had been standing on the floor; his claws had grown to a menacing two feet long; thick, sharp, and midnight black.

He had combusted.

_'Nailed that first impression.'_

Eren groaned inwardly when he felt his fangs digging into his bottom lip once more. Soldiers had whipped out their swords and wands in defense, magistrates had huddled together, chambermaids caved into themselves and each other for protection. Even Erwin had taken a step back, placing his hand on his carved oak wand.

The hall had gotten unanticipatedly silent. A sound of just a pin dropping would have been definite. King Pixis sat frozen in his throne, staring openly at the flame covered dragon. The sheer power that the dragon before him omitted was nothing short of incredible. The sheer rage that Eren and his aura had shown was terrifying.

'_Jackpot.'_ Pixis smiled, confusing the people in the hall, Erwin exempt.

"Well, in all of my 800 years ruling, I have never seen a dragon combust in my court." He mused and turned towards Erwin. "I can check that off my bucket list."

The advisor faked a laugh in order to alleviate the overly tense, frightened atmosphere.

Instantly, the soldier's shoulders loosened, the magistrates continued bickering, and the chambermaids quietly bustled proactively to the next royal in need.

Eren took a deep sigh, relieved that he would not have to escape as a wanted criminal for rage-busting,-that's what his grandfather had dubbed it-, in Pixis's court.

"Uh." He said eloquently. "Glad I could help, and just so you know, um, rage-busting isn't really common for me." Eren said sheepishly, hoping the statement was mostly believable.

It wasn't.

King Pixis laughed heartily, twirling the scepter in his right hand around expertly. "Do not worry your cute,"

"_Ugh_."

"Little head about that. I should have expected as much. You dragons,-I keep on forgetting how powerful your powers and emotions are."

Pixis got up and elegantly stepped down the flat, marble stairs. He reached for Eren's hand and motioned for the dragon to kneel.

"Wait, don't touch me yet. I am too hot for that." Eren warned frantically as the King's hand stretched further outwards.

King Pixis cocked an eyebrow. Eren fumbled for words, his face pink from exertion and embarrassment.

"I mean, not hot like oh shit he's hot. I mean hot temperature wise."

"You know, technically, we are something like third cousins or some crap like that." King Pixis smirked.

"Kings are not supposed to cuss." Eren shot.

The King was unfazed. "Neither are Head Priests."

Eren knelt down on his left knee when he had sufficiently cooled down. "Touché." He said, bowing his head before the monarch.

Pixis straightened his back, unsheathing his decorated ceremonial sword and capturing the attention of all of the current people in the hall. The ceremony was going to be quick and economical. No fancy parties or balls. The king knew that Eren wouldn't have it any other way.

"I, King Pixis II of the Hidden Kingdom, hearby declare Lord Eren Jaeger of the Jaeger Clan, Fire Hornbacks of the East, as Head Priest of this kingdom and a new recruit of the Scouting Legion." The sword was placed upon Eren's head in finality of the announcement. "May Akarth, the holy god above, bless you and guide you."

The king blessed him, using his thumb, soaked with a red substance (which Eren suspected was mashed berries) a priestess had brought over, to draw the symbol of Akarth, the magical kingdom's god, on his forehead. A triangle with and slitted eye in the middle.

Eren got up formally and bowed once more before standing up straight. "Thank you, my liege."

With that, the ceremony was completed. Applause and awed voices filled the hall. Apparently the coronation had been entirely unexpected. Eren had thought as much. He also was perturbed about the lack of nervousness he was feeling. Instead of being struck in realisation of the gravity of the situation he had embedded himself in, Eren felt whole, strong, like he was made out of titanium, bulletproof.

The Advisor was in front of him in a blink of an eye, offering a thankful nod. Even he looked more spirited.

_'We have a Fire Hornback as the Head Priest!'_

_'Finally, we're saved!'_

_'This kingdom must be really desperate if they are now exhorting a dragon.'_

_'He can't be trusted.'_

"Do not mind the chatter." Erwin looked at Eren and motioned for him to follow. "They are all gossiping hens."

Eren giggled, then hastily covered his mouth in an attempt to preserve his dignity as a male, much to Erwin's bemusement.

"Yeah. I totally agree."

"Transitioning into the subject of your recruitment, your training begins tomorrow for all subjects. The other soldiers have been training for two years now." Erwin said. "You came a bit late, but your magical capacity is what you will be working on the most."

"I was asked late." Eren corrected. "Now, I don't want to seem ignorant or naïve, but I honestly have no idea what to expect out of the Scouting Legion."

Erwin turned down a corridor. "All in good time. You will learn quickly, whether you choose the hard or easy way is up to you alone; that training is nothing to be laughed at. It is not a time for play."

Eren snorted. "Good sir, I haven't played, or whatever the hell that's supposed to mean, in since I was-"

"The Maestri told me about the flower fields, Eren." Erwin deadpanned.

Eren blushed heavily and gazed off into the distance. "I can see it, Erwin."

The Advisor looked at him strangely. "Pray tell me, what do you see?"

"My wounded pride and dignity going off into the sunset, never to return."

A strangled sound was made in the Advisor's throat. Eren realised with object horror that he was trying to laugh.

"Ah, please excuse me." Erwin cleared his throat and stopped in front of a closed door.

Eren came across the realisation that he probably should have been paying attention to his surroundings the whole time. He had absolutely no clue where he was. Taking out a key, the advisor unlocked the grand door and pushed it open with one hand. The room was obviously meant for royalty. The massive bed looked like it would eat Eren up rather than support his back. Curtains, a rich purple, flowed to the ground, heavy with gold embroidery and the stained glass doors, the symbol of Akarth melted into them, cast brilliant hues of a rainbow of colors across the plush, sand coloured carpet. There was another two doors in the room, one with a hook embedded in it and the other with a shoe rack placed next to it. Erwin walked in first, seeing the younger too caught up in the grandness of the room.

"The door with a hook leads to the bathroom and the other leads to your closet, which has your uniform in it already."

Eren snapped out of his stupor and looked at Erwin sketchily. "You took my measurements?"

Erwin placed his hands behind his back and looked around the room. "The king guessed." He said awkwardly.

"That's fucking creepy." Eren gave a dramatic shiver, not wanting to give into the sick rise of bile in his throat. He didn't like feeling violated, even if he knew the king had no ill intentions at all.

"Well. That's our king." The Advisor opened the the glass doors looking like he wanted to agree but his trained mouth would not let it slip out.

The sunlight drew Eren towards the doors, which led to a large balcony overlooking the entire royal city of Sina. The royal palace looked exceptionally large in size on the way to, but being granted such a sight was the most overwhelming thing Eren had dealt with all day.

"I cannot accept this." He said after a few silent minutes of appreciating the beauty of the city. "It is too much."

Erwin gave a lopsided smile, which made Eren want to hide under the bed out of pure fear.

"There is always the dungeon."

"On second thought, I think this is just perfect." Eren said hastily. Anything to get the Advisor to stop giving him a leer that would make a thousand devils scream.

Erwin nodded and headed for the main door, he looked back at Eren before he left. "Your assigned chambermaid will wake you up at 0400 hours sharp. Breakfast will be at 0430 for you. The training starts at 0530 in Wall Rose."

Eren wanted to scream at the godawful times but he was set on becoming a soldier worthy of his title.

"How will I get to Wall Rose in such a short time?" He asked, perplexed.

"Warp tunnel again." Erwin informed.

Eren gave a quick bow before the Advisor's leave.

"Oh, and Eren,"

"Yes."

Erwin glanced at him in all seriousness. "For your own sake, do not tell people of your powers. When the time is right, we will officially announce it to the rest of the kingdom and military branches."

"How many people know now?" Eren delved.

"Only your head instructor, Keith Shadis, King Pixis, the heads of the Scouting Legion, Military Police, and Garrison, my squad, and you and I." Erwin replied, leaning against the doorway as Eren stood uncomfortably in his new room.

"What about the people in the Hall?"

Erwin hummed. "Their memories have been erased." He replied nonchalantly.

Eren couldn't shake the nervous feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. "Ah, I see."

The Advisor stood and wrapped a hand around the silver door knob. "Goodnight, Eren."

"Yeah. Goodnight." The door shut gently.

The idea of erasing memories seemed barbaric to him. Memories were precious, no matter how painful they were. Memories build people, mystical creatures, giants, all things living into the person that they become, good or bad it does not matter. Altering memories is exactly that same thing as altering destinies, a sin regarded as one of the highest disgusts by dragons and their loose kin, fairies.

Sleeping in his new room would be a challenge, that's for sure. Nothing was familiar except for his bag that had been placed upon the dresser. Everything reeked of frivolous spending and it clogged Eren's sensitive nostrils to no end. Needless to say, he decided to strip his bed of the extravagant comforter and pillows so that he could create his own little mattress right at the edge of his carpet and the beginning of the balcony tile to fall dead asleep.

_'I am going to make new friends tomorrow. People that will actually-hopefully-talk to me. Got to keep my anger in check, though.'_

Eren tossed and turned in anticipation.

Tomorrow was the start of something new.

* * *

A soft knock rang throughout the room, doing nothing to awake Eren from his blissful sleep.

"Master Eren?"

Another knock was made, this time harder. Eren stirred and felt the cold sting of the balcony tile press into his cheekbones and instantly cool his overheated face.

"Master Eren! It is time to awake!" Called, who Eren assumed was, the chambermaid assigned to him.

Eren groggily opened his eyes and peered outside. It was still dark, but stars and the three major moons littered the skies above and made their own luminous light that shone upon the kingdom like a iridescent blanket.

His body was halfway inside of his room and halfway on the balcony; the temperature in the room had cooled down considerably but Eren's body felt on fire.

"Come in, please!" He croaked loudly and a subtle opening of the door followed.

"Oh my goodness, Master Eren! What in Akarth's name are you doing on the floor!" The chambermaid rushed over, worry etched on her motherly face.

She looked over his little nest at the junction between the balcony and the room and gave him a look of befuddlement.

"It got hot and stuffy." Eren said blandly, not really caring what his chambermaid thought of him at 0430 in the morning. "Can you help find my uniform? I have no fucking clue where it is."

The chambermaid gasped. "Master Eren! Please, your language! You shouldn't-"

Eren groaned. "It's the asscrack of dawn, lady. I haven't even taken my morning shit or my potions and I'm already getting lectured." He sat up, willing away the vertigo and rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

"O-oh, please forgive me, Master Eren. I did not mean to offend or insult you in any way." The maid appeared flustered, at herself or Eren, he didn't know.

Eren sighed, feeling guilty because of his attitude towards an innocent worker and horny because he needed his goddamn potions before he jumped the chambermaid.

"I am sorry for my attitude. I am not a morning person. At all." He stood up, looking at the maid with an apologetic smile. "Let's get the uniform, shall we...?" He trailed off, realising he didn't know her name.

The maid curtsied slightly. "Vinda. My name is Vinda, Master Eren."

Eren twitched. "Don't call me that." He said gruffly, not really liking how much he enjoyed the usage of the title.

Vinda frowned. "But I have too." She said with a hint of agitation.

"Whatever." Eren replied childishly, chugging down his _Y'lith_ potions as Vinda sifted though the closet and handed him a tangle of clothing and a puzzling ball of leather straps. Eren looked at the uniform in contemplation before turning to Vinda, licking his lips to drink in the last drops of his potions.

"I am going to need help."

Vinda looked at the uniform. "Me too."

It was a clandestine affair, getting his uniform on. It took over five chambermaids to correctly put on Eren's uniform and Eren hoped that they wouldn't be caught because five women in a room with a male dragon in heat was the very image of scandalous. The young dragon himself was more than happy with all of the female attention, he had a knack for being spoiled, but couldn't help but feel a little miffed with their hands all over his body.

It wasn't that Eren was adverse to touch. It was the his father's abuse, sexually and physically, that left his perception of a man or woman's _heated_ touch demented.

The way their hands raked along his sides, touched his lower back, rubbed the insides of his thighs as they adjusted the straps, all made him furrow his eyebrows and break out into a cold sweat.

Disgusting. Get away. Please, _stop_.

Vinda, the angel she was becoming in Eren's eyes, saw the mood change and the unwell sheen of her assigned lord's skin and promptly shooed the maids away. She had an idea of why the young Head Priest was reacting this way and it made her stomach feel queasy.

"Do you mind?" She asked, motioning towards the belts that needed to be tightened around his upper thighs. "I want nothing more than to help you." She said cautiously, hoping to clarify that she was not going to touch him in any undesirable way.

Eren visibly relaxed and the queasiness in Vinda's stomach amplified, her instincts as a mother soared. '_You poor thing.' _She thought with a constricted throat. '_How disgusting this world can be.'_

"I shall do the other side." Announced Eren, making haste with his straps and doing such a half-hearted job that Vinda had to gush at his attempts.

She fixed the straps and stood, the uniform Eren donned fit him well. Tight, flattering, and undeniably official.

"You look simply dashing, milord."

Eren smiled, and Vinda decided that she rather liked this dragon child. He was quite adorable when that murderous expression he had on most of the time was replaced.

"Thank you." He looked at his watch. "Holy fuck! I need to go!" He squealed in horror.

0457 was the time and if he dawdled any longer, he would be late on his first day.

"Bye Vinda, have a nice day!" He yelled, before racing down the stairs in what he hoped was the right direction.

Thankfully, the days in the flower fields granted him a better than average stamina and a speed that was quite impressive. It was exactly 0500 by the time he reached the breakfast parlor. Erwin, the Advisor, stood up with a cocked eyebrow at his acquaintance's late appearance.

"Okay, so I know I'm late but," He motioned at the uniform wildly. "What the hell, Erwin. This get up needs to come with a manual." Eren fumed quietly.

Erwin held back a soft laugh. "Sorry, that was just poor planning on my part. Come now, Eren. We must go."

He picked up a hearty breakfast sandwich with raw meat and eggs on a bun of some thick bread, just the way Eren liked it, and handed it to the new recruit.

"Eat it on the way out, Eren." Erwin said, as he watched Eren inhale the food (Ah, to be young), slightly put off by the fact that dragon's only eat raw meat.

"Or just eat it all now." He said teasingly.

Eren sniffed the air indignantly. "I was hungry."

The two reached an area that was occupied by only a couple of night guards but soldiers nevertheless. Eren switched formalities.

"Where exactly is the warp tunnel, Lord Erwin?"

Erwin guided him towards to a large stone door carved with what look like ancient battle scenes and tributes to Akarth. The moonlight shone eerily on the stone, making the symbol of the wizarding worlds' god seem unearthly, _maleficent_.

"This warp tunnel leads straight to the barracks of the training grounds." The advisor regarded Eren carefully. "You would have to be a special kind of person to be able to get lost."

Eren grimaced. He was going to get lost.

"Thanks." He said gruffly, pressing a button on the side of the door and taking a deep breath before stepping inside.

"Wish me luck." He said as he entered the doorway.

"You don't need any, you'll do fine." The advisor chirped, to bright for how early in the morning it was.

Eren rolled his eyes. "What a prude."

He entered the warp tunnel, all went dark. Eren was completely surrounded an ominous darkness. It wasn't at all like the other warp tunnel he had been through, this one seemed tapped with-manipulated. A sense of dread filled Eren quickly, this warp tunnel was also taking an extremely long time to end compared to the other one.

Suddenly, his feet hit the ground, the morning sun was shining in Wall Rose, and the intoxicating smell of gunpowder heightened his senses.

_'The training base must be practicing weaponry.' _Eren thought excitedly before shrill screams echoed throughout the herded streets.

The sound of cannons and swords slicing the air and _enemies_ filled the air and sent the evacuating citizens into even more of a frenzy.

Eren couldn't fucking believe it. He fucking could believe his weird ass dragon eyes.

The training base was under attack, by Frost Giants.

A goddamn sneak attack.

In a flash, Eren ran. He sprinted straight towards the monsters eating at what were supposed to be his new friends, his new memories, the people who were supposed to help him discover that, yes, life was worth living because it was beautiful. Life was beautiful when you had people who loved you.

He wouldn't let the Frost Giants ruin his life again, ruin the second reason why he chose to come to this kingdom in the first place.

Not this time. Not ever.

His vision turned red, that's all he saw. Red of a multitude of shades. Red dripping across the training base's barracks. Red dripping from bodies torn apart, their slimy insides strewn across the floor like a gruesome collage. Red streaked across recruit's faces as they fought what they had been trained to fight from the day they enlisted.

They weren't ready.

The recruits were still so young.

The Frost Giants had resorted to hiding behind buildings. Eren couldn't see a single one through the clouds of smoke and ash. Neither could the soldiers, who were shaking with terror and anticipation.

Death held back on no one. The Mistress had no heart. No soul. Death was cold, but most of all. Death made the world cruel.

"Holy shit it's a dragon!" Screeched a recruit, instantly Eren felt all eyes strain and stare at him incredulously.

"Holy shit."

"_What the fuck?!_"

"Oh god, we're gonna die!" Moaned a recruit, falling to the floor.

Eren craned his massive head down in front of the fallen soldier and stared into the shaven head boy's eyes with a fierce glare.

"Do not give up." Eren's voice rumbled, a rich baritone that was so different from his human voice he almost had to laugh. "I will protect you."

The recruit stared back at him, eyes wide and paralyzed. Eren couldn't blame him, these kids probably hadn't seen a dragon before and Eren liked to think he was pretty fucking majestic.

"I will kill all of the Frost Giants." He spat, coils of crimson flames and smoke hissing out of his mouth, his reptilian sea green eyes glowed brightly with the power of Nimuwai.

"I will kill them all."

And then he saw them, with frosty blue hue to their skin. The cold black eyes with blacker iris's glanced around hungry for blood, for death. The Frost Giants were anywhere from 3 to 35 meters and the ones before him looked communally around 5-15 meters.

He lost himself, his eyes going a lethal blazing red.

Eren charged.

_"I will fucking kill them all."_

One by one, he felt his deadly talons dig deep into the flesh of each of the Frost Giants he came across, felt his razor sharp teeth tear heads, limbs, faces off his enemies. Eren bellowed, a sound so resonantly ferocious that it would have almost leveled with his grandfather's. His howl resounded throughout Wall Rose.

Unbeknownst to Eren, squads upon squads had gathered around him, the recruits had been evacuated,-the boy with the practically bald head screamed words of luck, a new motivation towards Eren because he had never felt so invigorated to fight before. He hoped the mysterious dragon would be alright,-and the Advisor and his special ops squad had organized a unit of special combat soliders from the Scouting Legion to intervene if things got out of hand.

For now though, there wasn't a sane soul in the Hidden Kingdom would would dare disrupt the dragon whose raging flames licked every surface of its scaled skin, of its curved ebony thorns on the side of its head. Whose brutality in killing the Frost Giants was so sanguine it left even veterans with chills.

30 down. Eren had vaguely counted around thirty. There were more, he could see their hideous eyes glowering in the battlefield of smoke.

Eren flew.

His black wings rippled apart and spread wide.

He soared freely, relishing in the fresh wind smacking his face, smacking his sanity back into him. His eyes reverted back to sea-green and his resolve was stronger than ever. Now that he was awake and aware, the thirst to kill had never been so strong.

With a swoop, Eren dived, opened his jaw horrendously wide, and roared; lustrous, vivid fire burst from his mouth in a plethora of oranges, reds, yellows, and a dominant presence of blues. The rich, luminous fire swept across the training base's lands and crashed into the infrastructures like turbulent waves against a cliff. It was a glittering sea of fire, a sight so dazzling that it curbed the hauntingly grotesque way it consumed the remaining platoon of Frost Giants, their height being a useless attribute.

Eren felt a tear trickle down his burning skin. _'How did someone like me create something so beautiful?"_

He flapped his wings to gain balance as he landed before the hordes of soldiers. Instantly, the fire disappeared when his clawed feet touched the ground. Eren turned around and smiled at the charred bodies of the Frost Giants, piles of ice had formed around them in what Eren suspected had been a vain attempt to freeze fire with their hereditary dark ice magic.

The joy Eren felt over being the more powerful made fire burst out of his snout.

Ignoring the cries of surprise, Eren carefully maneuvered himself between the squadrons of soldiers until he came across the pack of recruits he had practically saved from before.

Eren didn't care that his name was being yelled, he didn't care that swords were poking at his impenetrable scaled skin. All he cared about was having a new family because he didn't know when he would see his grandfather again and if there was one thing Eren hated more then being abused, it was being alone and unloved.

Hunching down so that he was perched like a dog eagerly waiting for a treat, his arms hanging awkwardly in the air, Eren looked down at the teen with the shaven head, the girl with a messy brown ponytail, a young man with a face that set Eren's nerves alight (but he was going to try and ignore that he had a horseface), the two girls that looked like polar opposites, and a trio with the most intimidating young woman and the tallest teen he'd ever seen and flickered his tongue as a greeting.

In his low, rumbling voice, Eren disregarded Erwin's orders to stand down and looked at the group with twinkling eyes.

"Would you be my friends?"

Silence.

Pure silence.

Not a word was spoken. Not a breath was taken. The swords that had been poking at him uselessly had ceased. It was the teen with the annoying face that spoke up first.

"_Oh my god._" He said in shock.

The girl with the ponytail dropped the loaf of bread that she had been cradling. "I-I wh-what." She sputtered.

The two men of the trio openly gaped, not sure what to say. Next to them, the polar opposites looked at each other before walking over to Eren in strides.

The blonde girl of the trio followed as did the teen with the shaven head, who laughed uproariously in bewilderment and hilarity.

"I'm Connie!" He said waving up at Eren, who looked away, embarrassed because he fucking realised that he said that after his homicidal high and in front of fucking everyone in the fucking military. "Aw, he's shy."

The cheery blonde approached him next, dragging her bored looking friend and petting Eren's claw.

"My name is Historia and I would be happy to be your friend. I'm very grateful for what you did. " She flung her friend with scary strength in front of her. "This is Ymir. Ymir this is... Uh."

Eren bristled, bright pink flames puffing out of his snout and ears.

"I- my name is Eren. Sorry for being weird. I just-uh."

"Holy fucking _shit_." It was the annoying one. "That is so cute." He pointed to the bright pink flames puffing out of his ears. "My name is Jean."

Eren sniffed the air. "I am not _cute_. I am a 15 meter killing machine."

The blond man of the trio snickered. "Look, Bertl. He's in denial." He said to the freakishly tall teen besides him, who offered a weak smile to Eren.

There was a harsh tap on his thigh. "Would you like some bread?" It was the ponytail girl.

Eren shook his head. "No thank you."

The girl smiled widely. "I like you. Letting me keep the food to myself." She leaned against Eren and began eating her bread. "This dragon's my new best friend!" She said happily, the relief of being alive catching up to her .

"I saw him first, Sasha!" Connie cried mirthfully and leaned on Eren next to Sasha.

For the first time, the blonde girl of the trio spoke up. "Technically, I was the one to see him first so..." She trailed off and stood next to Eren, not touching him, but she was looking up with an indifferent face that Eren assumed was probably just her natural look.

Jean snorted. "Fucking asshole."

"Horseface." Eren retorted sassily.

"That doesn't even make sense!" He argued, his eyebrows furrowed but his eyes sparkling with laughter.

Eren huffed, a ring of pink smoke was created. "You look like an equestrian mammal, then."

Historia laughed first, Ymir followed suit when she made Historia retell the insult. Eren looked down at the eight recruits that he had so embarrassingly and straight-forwardly asked to be his friends after he wrecked so much property, but even as he was hauled away, the recruits gave big waves and smiles as a squad of Scouting Legion special ops led him towards a group of mighty official looking people, the Advisor included.

Looking closely at the staff in a man with a trimmed black beard donning a tan jacket with a unicorn badge, he saw in the floating orb above that there was an image of King Pixis, staring at him intently, with a small smile.

Eren, even in his dragon form, even though there was a good chance he could escape even against the sorcerer's magic, was rooted to the spot in fear.

He had caused alot of property damaged. He wasn't supposed to transform like that. He could have killed more people than save, but he didn't.

"He looks like he's about to piss his scales." Muttered King Pixis through the orb.

Black soot caught in Eren's snout and tickled his nostrils so bad that he let out a sneeze like a mouse.

For the second time today, Eren had stunned people into silence and he fucking hated being the center of attention. Fucking _loathed_ it.

"Head Priest,-or really-,Eren my boy, that was the cutest thing I have ever heard." King Pixis smiled in full.

Bright pink smoke began to puff out of his ears once more. "Another thing one your bucket list checked off?"

Pixis laughed. "Who the hell would have that on their bucket list?"

Eren huffed and Advisor Erwin stepped up, a hard look in his eyes.

"What were you thinking?" He said coldly. "Do you understand how much in damages you've cost us?"

The pink smoke turned an ugly black. His aura turning heavy in anger. The small puffs turned into tendrils that looked like gangly vines hanging in the air. Eren was positive his eyes had turned red when swords were unsheathed.

"Woah there, Eren." The King warned, deathly calm.

"So it's all about the money isn't it? That's all you politicians ever care about." It was true. Money was the one of the reasons the Frost Giants had killed his family. "Think about the people,_ those fucking kids_, that were going to lose their lives because of your shitty defenses." He roared.

A tall man with a thick dark blond mustache and hair that fell over his eyes whispered something under his breath and a translucent yellow bubble formed over the squad of officers.

Eren lurked forward, the protective spell further enraging him. "You want to know what I was fucking thinking? I was thinking that I couldn't just stand by and watch those soldiers die because of a sneak attack. They have their whole lives ahead of them, and I have nothing left tying me to this world except the ugly sin of revenge. Those soldiers have families they need to go home and visit, siblings and pets that need their affection, fucking _want_ their affection."

"I agreed to come with you because I wanted to make a new family of friends so that I wouldn't be alone anymore."

God, Eren was so far gone he was vomiting out his feelings. It needed to be done though. He would never gain these people's trust if he didn't.

He would never be able to avenge his family and create a new one, not in their stead, but as an addition.

This needed to happen.

"I am sorry that I cost this kingdom heavy reparation bills, but there were numerous groups of Frost Giants hiding behind the barracks as well as that big building in the center. "

Eren knelt down, the earth cracking beneath the force of his claws digging into the streets. The crooked vines of smoke curled around Erwin and the giant that had cast the spell next to him glared hard.

Eren had broke through his spell.

His voice came out darker and more ragged than before. It sounded evil. It felt evil. The voice of a monster.

"And I am going to kill all of the Frost Giants, whether you like it or not."

The Advisor turned to the group of military leaders with the smuggest expression Eren had ever seen. Even the King looked proud.

"I told you we found him." Erwin said.

"The Hope of the Magical Kingdoms." Continued the King. "And the Head Priest of Nimuwai."

From behind him, Eren could have sworn he heard Jean's jaw dropping and he had never felt more content.

**_A/N:_**

**_Whoo, long chapter. Sorry, I just really want to introduce MoonMoon (Levi because calling him Levi Rivaille is basically saying his name twice, even if rivaille isn't correct. Whatever.)_**

**_Anyways, please comment! They are always appreciated and make the chapters fly out alot faster. This work is unbeta'd so there is bound to be mistakes and I would be grateful if you pointed them out. _**

**_Next Chapter: Moon Moon struts in. More 104th cuteness. WAR POLITICS YAY (lol no)._**


	4. Chapter 4

"Jaeger! I don't give a flying fuck about you bein' the Head Priest. If I see you and Kirchstein playing with each other one more goddamn time, I am making you both do twelve suicide runs!" Boomed General Shadis, who was glaring daggers at Eren and Jean.

Jean flushed red out of anger. "Playing with each other?" He shouted incredulously.

Eren mustered up the deadliest glare he could and shot one right at Shadis. "That's fucking disgusting! The only thing playing with Jean is himself!" He yelled impudently.

"Look whose talkin', Jaeger! Your face is a fucking train wreck-"

"To heaven." Eren countered, ignoring Christa's pleas to stand down, and stepping closer to Jean with a spiteful eye. "Just because your impuissant little brain can't recognize when a battle's been lost, the loser should stand down, doesn't mean I have to stand here listening to you neigh about shit on shit about shit."

Jean laughed uglily. "You are the definition of tight ass bitch, Jaeger." He looked down at Eren with a mocking smile.

Eren scoffed. "You wouldn't know." He snipped.

Jean frowned heavily for a second until a quirk of his lips upward indicated a smile. Eren's soon followed. In the end, Jean and Eren just liked pushing each others buttons; they were too similar to each other in some ways and it pissed both of them off royally.

Bouts of laughter descended upon the mess hall of the Wall Maria Training Corps, relocated from the destroyed Wall Rose, that soon plummeted into unstoppable laughing fits that Jean and Eren quickly fell victim too. Out of the corner of his eye, Eren saw General Shadis give the scene a quick look over before slithering back into his brooding corner.

It was a sweaty evening; an evening with the incessant chirps of cicadas and annoying pricks from mosquitos, but most of all, it was a fun evening.

Eren had grown more and more accustomed to his peers and after the Wall Rose debacle four weeks ago, his reputation as a figure of high authority had spread like wildfire. To his surprise, the cadets in the Training Corps treated him like a fellow sorcerer in training, just like themselves. It was quite refreshing in some aspects and wholly appreciated in others.

After some pranks on a newbie named Thomas and a minuscule food fight instigated by Sasha, who had some weird obsession with food that Eren stumbled across when he was trying to retrieve his bread roll from his lap, that almost instantly died down due to fear of General Shadis and his punishments, the cadets filed out the mess hall once the clock struck 20:00 hours and bounced towards the barracks for a good nights sleep. Eren watched his fellow trainees and friends laugh loudly and mess around, too energetic for teens that were supposed to be heading to bed.

'That's what you get for having_ 'lights out' right after dinner.'_ He thought placidly, turning on his heel after his routine of flicking Jean off and walking towards the entrance of the training base.

Traveling back to the Royal palace after spending time with people his age, enjoyable time, was a slap on the face. A reminder that he had more responsibilities than just offering his body to be a weapon for the state. He had agreed to offer his life as well. Eren regretted nothing though. It was a wise choice in his perspective but having Erwin's academic classes for an hour after training was more draining than Shadis's suicide runs.

After warping through the kingdom, Eren sprang out of the warp tunnel, waving to the stationary guards patrolling the area per usual. With a sigh, he trudged up gigantic steps leading to the impending pair of solid gold doors that emanated regal authority, overshadowing the entire courtyard.

The herald perched by the twin doors looked at him for a mere second until recognition dawned on him. It was always like this with Frank. Everyday, Eren would leave the castle for some reason and Frank would always forget his face and would stand there until he realised that it was still just Eren.

"Hey Frank. Gonna let me in?" Eren asked, annoyed.

Frank twitched. "It's Fredrick." He said with gritted teeth.

Eren shrugged and hastily stepped into the interior of the palace, not sparing a glance at Fredrick out of his own embarrassment. He was never a people person and his social graces were the bare minimum. His grandfather had told him once that he was just too loud and headstrong for his own good. Too passionate and not friendly enough to be well liked. Eren had replied with a curt 'whatever' before storming outside and consequently getting into a brawl with some bullies in the town below.

"Ah, Lord Eren." The Advisor's voice rang throughout the hall, singling the young dragon out amidst the bustling employees.

Eren groaned softly and turned around with a forced smile. "Lord Erwin." He tilted his head in greeting.

Erwin chuckled. "I know how much you hate my lectures but they must be carried out by someone." The Advisor looked at him pointedly.

"Yeah. I got that." Eren said. "Alright, let's go then, shall we?"

"Lead the way." Mused Erwin.

Shuffling through the crowds, Eren nudged past a few maids whose arms were filled with laundry baskets upon laundry baskets and male courtiers who looked at him and Erwin with an odd gleam in their eyes. Once the duo was in a less crowded area, Erwin slid next to Eren and settled for small talk for a while until the two reached the library.

The Royal library was a world of it's own. With an endless array of countless types of literature, scrolls, arts, compositions, everything, Eren found himself lost in the folds of knowledge the further he delved into the magnificence of the building. The ceiling above was a glass dome, one forged by Fire Dragons from over 3000 years prior. It's resilience and crystalline beauty was the reason the library was one of Eren's most favoured places, no matter how much he hated books.

"Eren, come over here." Beckoned Erwin from an lone couch near a window overlooking the small pond filled with fully grown, green Lilypads.

Eren sat a comfortable distance aways from Erwin as his attention was caught by the happenings outside. With a small clearance of his throat, Erwin captured Eren's attention again quickly.

"We must converse about the happenings at the Wall Rose 57th Training Base, Eren. I know I already talked to you about it but at that time, it was just to make a point. It wasn't what I really wanted to say." Started Erwin on a serious note, his eyes hard and professional. "I know it's been almost four weeks but I could not find the time to pull you aside from your training or studies."

Something inside Eren died at the mention of a conversation that sounded more like a lecture than conversation but with a sharp nod and a straightening of his back, Eren mentally prepared himself for the late berating.

Erwin crossed his arms. "Eren, your lack of regard for your safety and health is quite alarming."

Eren's eyes widened. That was not the kind of direction he imagined Erwin to go.

"E-excuse me?" He sputtered unintelligibly.

Erwin frowned. "You charged into the battle head first. Not even a moment of time was spent planning or considering strategies." Erwin leaned forward, looking a Eren with a heavy glare. "You could have seriously injured yourself, or worse. Eren, you could have died."

At that, Eren bristled. "Those weaklings couldn't have possibly killed me." He argued, his eyes narrowing and his aura turning a shade more red as his anger and annoyance grew. "I am a dragon, Advisor. Dragons are more durable and much more powerful than magical folk such as yourself." He growled out.

Erwin's jaw clenched. "What do you think would happen if for some reason, those weaklings overpowered you? Eren, you would be murdered. Just like your family. Your mother and you would share the same fate at the hands of the Frost Giants."

Eren snarled, his crimson aura's intensity bending books and warping the wooden shelves as it increased in pressure.

Erwin was seemingly unfazed and a subtle orange glow enveloped his body, a spell of protection, keeping him safe from getting crushed by Eren's aura.

"Watch yourself, Eren. In battle and out. This kingdom cannot afford to lose you." Erwin looked at him with pained expression. "I'm sure your new friends would be devastated-your grandfather too. Think about yourself once in a while, before this habit becomes a problem."

Eren sucked in a breath, feeling guilt seep into his stomach and twist uglily. He hadn't meant to seem suicidal or reckless. It was just his personality to meet demons head on; it was how he was wired.

"Yes sir." Eren replied quietly, his hands being wrung nervously.

Erwin sighed, he didn't mean to chastise the dragon he just wanted to invoke some rationalism. "Eren, that aside... What you did was incredible. You saved the lives of over 500 cadets. You should be proud, heck, the newspapers are still buzzing with excitement over you."

The change in Eren's aura was almost comical; From the melancholic dark blue to prideful beams of neon green.

"T-thanks, si- Erwin. I didn't know that." He scratched the bridge of his nose, abashed. "I don't like reading so I don't even look at the news."

Erwin poorly hid a snort. "Is that so?" He glanced to the side before regaining his wits. He looked at Eren with fierce authority. "There is also another reason I brought you here."

Eren fidgeted in his seat. "What is it?"

"Due to the fact that there was a sneak attack by the Frost Giants without any proper authorisation by the Jotenheim government, the war is entering a neutral state-"

"What?!" Eren shot out of his seat, both aghast at the thought of rogue Frost Giants attacking his kingdom and ecstatic about the fact that wartime was in a ceasefire. He pushed aside the dark thoughts swirling around in the murky corners of his mind whispering warmongering ideas and plotting plans of enemies' deaths.

"Let me finish. The war is entering a neutral state and there is going to be a conference held in the Yaela Highlands in two days."

"What brought this on, Erwin?" He demanded, his eyes burning a bright yellow.

Erwin levelled his voice, Eren's fiery aura making him aggressive. "This is a conference that hopes to negotiate peace. If this succeeds, the war will be over and your grandfather and this kingdom will no longer be in any imminent danger."

Eren blinked, the information washing over him. "Two days? Why does this pertain to me?" He questioned, already dreading the answer.

With a slow smile, Erwin rubbed at his hairless chin. "Well, you see. Eren, you are the Head Priest."

"Uh... Yes?" Eren conceded, confused.

"One of the duties that come with being Head Priest is to accompany the military leaders and Advisor, me, to any meetings or conferences that regard the nation-No matter what subject." Erwin informed with a minuscule grin. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

Eren blanched. "No. No. I can't. I have the social skills of an isolated tortoise. Please. I'll fuck it up. I'll start a fucking war, Erwin." He pleaded, the idea of him being surrounded by powerful leaders in charge of magical weapons and such making him cringe.

Eren hated feeling weak. He had felt that horrid wretch too many times before. Hell, he became it when his father was around.

Erwin looked at him without a trace of sympathy. "Get used to it." He deadpanned.

With a self piteous sigh, Eren ran a clawed hand over his face, mindful not to snag the obsidian coloured claw on his sensitive skin.

"Yes sir."

* * *

"Vinda. Vinda. _Vinda_. Shut up."

There was a pause. "Excuse me?" Vinda asked with a dangerous voice.

Eren muttered an expletive under his breath, cursing his stupid mouth, as he shuffled further down the length of his bed, covering his head with the comforter in hopes of seeking shelter from his angry chambermaid's glare.

"It's too early to get up, Vinda. I'm sorry." He whined from under the comforter.

Vinda scoffed. "Nonsense! The King, the Advisor, the heads of the Branches, and the guards are all waking up right about now!" She said exasperatedly, tugging on Eren's comforter in hopes of yanking it off.

Eren held onto the edge of the blanket tighter and managed to curl up into a ball. "I don't give a shit." He muttered angrily.

"Don't mutter, Master Eren. It's unbecoming and childish." Vinda lightly smacked his covered head.

"Go away, woman." He cursed, flipping onto his other side, facing away from Vinda.

Their squabbling went on for about another five minutes until a sharp rap came from Eren's bedroom door. The two paused in their bickering in exchange for staring blankly at the door. Another swift rap of knuckles was heard.

"The Head Priest is expected to be downstairs in thirty!" Called the Royal messenger.

For the first time in the month an a half Eren knew her, Vinda let out a string of curses that put him to shame. Eren couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed to have heard such vulgarities but he quickly donned the feeling as childish and joined in with Vinda in a matter of seconds.

"We need to get your fucking ceremonial robes on, now." Vinda hissed, practically throwing herself into the vast closet.

Eren cocked his head. "Robes? Like bathroom robes?" He asked, perplexed.

Vinda came flying out of the closet with a mass of red robes. "Yes, robes. Well, it's more nunnish than anything but you are the Head Priest so deal with it." She snapped impatiently, throwing the large bundle of clothing on the bed and barking at Eren to undress.

She rapidly dressed him. Eren took it upon himself to stare at his reflection for a good five minutes after she had finished fixating his red headdress that fit tightly around his head, holding his hair back. The veil draped over his headdress was a coal black, as was the full length robe he had to wear. It was voluminous but tight fitting, clinging to every curve and corner that his body had to offer. The sleeves were lengthened and flared out past the elbow, making a long train of black cloth sway as he walked. Since the robe would drag along the floor due to its length, Vinda forcefully shoved on slim heels that allowed the robes to only brush the floor instead of collect dirt every time Eren moved.

"I look like a fucking nun. A really decked out nun, Vinda. What is up with this color?This is bullshit. I am a male dragon." Eren fumed while Vinda clasped on a heavy golden necklace that was so big it rested on his shoulders and across his upper chest. The necklace had four eyes of Akarth engraved in it, a glaring red gem placed for the eyeball and dark black stone melted in for the outline of the eye.

Vinda lifted Eren's hands and placed thick gold bracelets with encrusted aqua gems on each wrist, as well as a second necklace, one much smaller and thinner that fit snugly around his neck.

It was a bronze key.

Eren fingered the piece of jewellery curiously. "What is it?"

Vinda frowned. "I don't know. I was just told to put it on you." She replied honestly.

Eren nodded, then looked back to his reflection and grimaced. "Isn't it time to go?" He questioned, his mood dampened by the clothing.

Reaching into a box near the side of the table, Vinda pulled out a black stick with a substance coated on it and a tube that looked suspiciously like lipstick.

"Now, Master Eren. Don't fight."

"You get that blasphemous shit away from me right now or so help Akarth." Eren nearly screamed.

Vinda yanked Eren down to her level by the chin. "Too bad. The makeup is all part of the ceremonial robes. It is an aspect of our culture! Of your culture! It is meant to beautify you, Master Eren. To put you on a level that seems godly. You are our Head Priest. You supply our faith and because of that, you need to play and look the part."

Eren gritted his teeth, swallowing his pride and regretting every decision he had made up to that point. "Get on with it."

"Bless." Vinda breathed out, applying a light coat of mascara and blowing on the substance till it dried.

Eren's mouth muscles cried out against the feel of the thick coat of lipstick over his lips. It took everything in him not to smack the offending object out of his chambermaid's hand and into the depths of hell.

A short while after, Eren felt like a dressed up dog. Mortified, confined, and overly pampered. He didn't even glance at his reflection again because he knew it would make him barf. He knew he would look like a girl and it hurt his pride.

"Vinda, I might as well cut my dick off." Eren said miserably. "I can feel it shriveling up along with my manliness."

"Master Eren, quit being a brat and let's go." She held out an arm.

Eren gently grabbed the outstretched limb and locked arms with Vinda, letting her lead the way to the meeting point because he hadn't been paying attention.

It was a short walk, three minutes at the most, and the duo made it in the nick of time. The Advisor was the only one in the grand hall but one of the Palace doors was open so Eren assumed that the rest of the group was already loaded in carriages and waiting on him.

"Lord Eren and chambermaid." Greeted Erwin, bowing to Eren and then Vinda.

Vinda unlocked their arms and patted him on the elbow. "You behave." She warned him in a motherly manner.

Eren cracked a small smile, his throat clenching painfully as memories of his own mother filled his thoughts.

"I will." He said as he walked towards Erwin.

The heels he had been forced to wear made walking uncomfortable. He wasn't used to the amount of pressure being applied on his sole nor with the way he had to walk. Eren suddenly had a newfound respect for noble ladies because how they could not want to rip off their heels, what with the way they make you provocatively sway your hips and tortured your feet at the same time.

"Eren, I shall be calling you Gothi from now on." Erwin said as he walked up to the Advisor, self consciously fingering the hem of his sleeve. _(Priest in old Norse)_

"Okay." He complied. "Shall we meet the others?"

Erwin nodded. "Splendid idea. Let us go." He held out his arm for Eren to take. "The Priestly robes look quite beautiful on you." Remarked Erwin as the duo made their way down the stairs.

Eren scoffed disbelievingly. "Save your sweet talks for that Marie woman, Advisor. She's the only beautiful thing in your eyes."

If he looked hard enough, Eren would have seen a blush form on the Advisor's cheeks. "How did you even hear about that?" He questioned, slightly embarrassed.

With a chuckle, Eren tightened his grip on Erwin's arm when he had trouble stepping down a set of stairs. "The words of romance spread like a disease."

"Save this world from damnation. Rid the gossip and all the demons it births." The Advisor said sagely.

Eren turned his head in disturbance. "Cease your madness, Lord Erwin. People will get the wrong idea."

"Well, I'll be damned if it isn't our royal Gothi." Chimed a low voice from the window of one of the carriages.

Erwin and Eren turned synchronically towards the noise; a elderly man with an elegant burgundy vest, whose glamorous design was incredibly ostentatious, and a striking golden brooch that stuck out on his left breast that had the royal symbol engraved into it.

It was King Pixis.

"Don't look so melancholic, Gyoja Jaeger." Teased the king, whose coattails were being tugged on because 'you need to settle down, my liege. Your health!'_ (Priestess in Old Norse)_

Eren felt his fists clench. "I am not a girl."

The king swatted away the servant's hand and cracked a mischievous smirk. "Could have fooled me, little girl."

With a heavy eye roll, Eren turned back to the advisor. "Our king is an actual three year old. May we please?"

Erwin sighed, shooting the king a unenthusiastic look. "Yes, let us head to our carriage..."

The Advisor trailed off before turning to Eren with a depressed sag of his shoulders. "Sadly, we are sharing one with King Pixis."

Groaning out and once again, cursing his bad luck, Eren slowly made his way to the second carriage out of the five that had been set outside. He assumed they were all full already seeing that there were outlines of heads and shuffles of the curtains as he walked past each contraption. Quickly, the pair reached the king's carriage.

"Lord Erwin?" Eren placed a foot on the carriage step. "Don't be a drama queen. That's my job."

It was a long ride.

The tedious game of eye spy that was brought on by King Pixis quickly spiraled downwards into a game of chopsticks, which Pixis's servant won every time. Eren never attempted to look past the curtains in the three hours that their trip took but he did notice the significant drop in temperature after the carriages traveled through a warp tunnel.

He surmised instantly that they had entered Yaela neutral territory, closer to the Frost Giants. Something akin to one of those wild forest fires rapidly blazed inside him. It felt unstoppable- Eren would just have to give in and follow the murderous path that the hellish fire coursed for him. Killing all of the Frost Giants wasn't just a desire anymore, it was his occupation.

Five carriages, all containing the figureheads and holders of power from the Hidden Kingdom. Five carriages heading towards a median between Jotenheim and the Hidden Kingdom in order to carry out a conference supposedly for the matter of peace. Five carriages, one carrying a Fire Hornback whose sole purpose was to kill Frost Giants to extract vengeance for his family.

It was a disaster waiting to happen.

"I see that look in your eyes, Gothi. That's a look that will make a thousand of heaven's angels cry." Pointed out Pixis. The king leaned forward in his seat. "This is a conference for peace. Control your instincts to kill. Maintain your neutrality and priestly aura in the presence of The King of Jotenheim and Admiral Levi." Commanded the king, his heavy set frown making Eren press into his own seat.

Eren's eyes widened and suddenly the carriage became to small, the air became extremely pressurised, and hazy orange shields enveloped the King and the Advisor.

Eren was livid.

"_Admiral Levi?!_" He nearly screamed, his talons growing at an accelerated rate, his aura crushing the carriage as the wooden boards below began to splinter. "The man who killed my family is going to be at a_ peace_ conference?!"

Frantic yells suddenly came from outside and the carriage halted with a sudden screech. Worried and panicked voices rang out as carriage doors opened and slammed shut. People were evacuating.

The Advisor shot up, sapphire blue tattoos blossomed on his skin as he summoned his magic, curling in spirals and twisting elegantly around his limbs.

"Stand down, Jaeger!" He boomed, a carved stick of thick wood appearing from thin air besides him: his wand. "I will not allow you to jeopardize this outing and threaten the safety of the king!" He shouted furioisly.

A harsh, derisive laugh came from the king. "Go outside, Gothi. Go outside and calm yourself_. _This carriage doesn't deserve this horrid treatment. Erwin, you sit down however. We have to talk about why you failed to mention that Eren's bane of his existence was going to be prancing around at this meeting."

Eren flung himself out of the carriage, too angry to reply with a 'yes, my liege.' As he fell feet first into the snow, he heard the hushed whispers about his presence and appearance. Apparently, not very many people had actually met him before.

Trudging out into the field of light snow besides the road, Eren immediately tore off his dress robes, not caring about the scandalised gasps of his equally scandalous actions and then his vision turned red, not registering the hand that came up to his mouth and was mangled by his fangs.

"King Pixis, our Gothi just transformed!" Yelled a man whom Eren recognised as Mike, one of the Scouting Legion's head commanders as well as the King's bodyguard of some sorts.

"What?!" Cried an outraged voice from Eren's previous carriage. "Are you fucking kidding me? That means he ruined his robes! They looked so beautiful too!"

"_That's_ what you care about?" Jarreth, Head of the Garrison glared at the King from his outstretched position from the carriage window. "Our Gothi is having a hissy fit and you're worrying about his clothes."

"Hissy fit?!" Hissed Eren, his dragon voice making the ground below him tremble ever so lightly. "Say that again, I dare you." He seethed, the snow melting around him due to his exponentially high body temperature.

A platinum blonde woman with spectacles stepped in front of Eren with an unimpressed look on her face. It was Rico

Brzenska of the Garrison, the second in charge and the most elite soldier they had.

Her eyes flashed behind her silver glasses. "Eren Jemal Jaeger, son of the late Grisha and Carla Jaeger of the Jaeger Clan, notorious for their power and wrath. You are a Fire Hornback." She stated mechanically.

Eren felt his one of his ears bend in half and the other stand at attention. "Good job, do you want a prize or something?" He taunted sarcastically.

Rico bared her teeth, a set of pearly whites that made Eren a bit jealous. "Hold your tongue, Gothi. Let me ride on your back until we get within a twenty mile radius."

Eren flushed. "Excuse me?" His voice cracked embarrassingly.

Rico sneered. "Gothars are supposed to have pure thoughts, Gothi Jaeger. You need to vent and staying in your dragon form will allow you to calm the fuck down before we arrive at the peace summit." _(Gothar is plural form of Gothi in Old Norse)_

She took a step closer to Eren and rested a hand on his hind leg. "You will not disrupt the peace with your immoral quest for vengeance." She proclaimed darkly.

Eren's wings bristled, flapping in the cool wind. He snorted, casting soot all over the melted snow and ground. "Whatever, Lady Rico."

"That's Captain Rico to you." She griped as she expertly climbed up Eren's splayed out wing and settled on the juncture between head and neck. "You insolent fuck." She muttered under her breath. "Talk back to me again and I'll shove my foot up your ass."

Eren gulped, the sound echoing across the plains as his eyes widened.

"So-Sorry, Ma'am!"

"Men, ready your horses and forwards we go!" Yelled the lead carriage driver.

From his peripheral vision, Eren could see the King give him a contemplative sideways glance and the Military Police's head in charge, Nile Dawk, whisper something in another's royal's ear.

_'Just one of those days where everything is fuck and everybody sucks.'_ Thought Eren as Rico smacked him. He jolted and groused until he actually had to start walking or the two of them would have been left behind.

"Don't pout." Said Rico while she adjusted her glasses for the umpteenth time; With every step, Eren's whole body undulated, making balance hard for Rico.

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

Castle Utgard was an worn down place to hold such an important meeting but despite the invasive vines curled around very crack and corner of the aged relic, the castle bore a chief and regal aura. It was like an old man who still retained his authority and power.

It was spacious in its design, or in other words, Castle Utgard was quite enormous. The size also benefited both parties because it allowed more space for the carriages and horses to be parked and most royal giants were in in between 7-8 feet, so large and tall doorways were quite welcome.

Eren had transformed back into a human twenty miles prior to reaching the castle. One of the maids that had been dragged along had brought along spare ceremonial robes with her, per Vinda's orders.

Eren cursed Vinda but thanked the gods for her preparedness at the same time.

His dreadfully feminine makeup was not disturbed in the least, neither were his shoes or jewellery. It only took around ten minutes to be dressed again and the Hidden Kingdom representatives and King were on their way to meet the Frost Giants.

Eren cast a protective spell despite King Pixis's protests against. It was all for the sake of peace but he knew that once he saw a Frost Giant, or worse, the infamous Admiral Levi, he would just fucking lose his shit.

The group of 30 hustled into Castle Utgard per their separate announcements. Eren and the Advisor were called together after the King and his Royal Guard, Mike. The Military Police, the Garrison, and lastly the Scouting Legion representatives were called in order of their standings.

Eren couldn't help but feel miffed that the Scouting Legion was called last even though Advisor Erwin was the Commander in charge.

Inside the castle, luminous glass chandeliers hung from every room as far as Eren could see. A black marble winding staircase contrasted with the pearly white tiled floor. The inside was the antithesis of the outside.

"Come, Hidden Kingdom." Called a human herald dressed in a plain black suit. "The Frost Giant company is in the grand hall."

Eren leaned towards Rico. "Why the humans?" He asked.

Rico shrugged. "They don't have a say in what goes on so I guess it's for the sake of neutrality." She answered, fixing her crisp Garrison uniform and tugging lightly on the black leather straps. "Humans usually host these sort of things because it's quite profitable."

Eren just nodded and continued following the group to the grand hall. His heels clacked with every step and sharp pangs of pain shot up his leg from his heel as he stepped foward. High heels were the fucking worst.

"King Pixis II of the Hidden Kingdoms and his royal guests, arriving." Announced the herald loudly, his shined shoes glimmering from the light pouring into the hall from the massive glass window as well as the hanging chandelier that spanned nearly a fourth of the hall.

Eren stepped forward to walk with the group but a hand on his elbow stopped him.

"Lord Nile?" He questioned politely even though he wanted to yank the offending hand off of him.

Nile bowed his head slightly. "You are announced separately. Join us at the table and sit by the Advisor." He informed in a whisper before hurriedly joining the other group.

Eren didn't miss the way Lord Nile wiped his hand on his uniform in what looked a lot like disgust.

_'Fuck you too, Lord Nile.'_

The rest of the Hidden Kingdom's representatives had settled down and Eren was left standing awkwardly besides the entrance, out of sight. He could feel a cold sweat break out despite the chilled air. Questions of 'why' and 'what' popped up into his mind. Why couldn't he have walked in with everyone else? What the fuck? Why was he special? What do people not understand about his fear of being in in the center of everyone's attention?

Just one of those days.

"Gothi Eren Jaeger, Head Priest of the Hidden Kingdom and Successor of the Jaeger Clan, arriving."

The herald's voice sounded way too loud. Eren swallowed and willed down the nausea that was building up in the pit of his stomach. This was too much. The impact of realisation hit him once again because he was about to step into a room filled with his sworn enemies and the man that ordered the murdering of his family. He took a deep breath and mustered up all of the knowledge on manners and how to present oneself gracefully and authoritatively before he stepped into the room with a delicate frown.

Eren brought a hand to his chest and bowed at the herald, who blushed hotly at the gratuity and at something else Eren couldn't quite place. After that, his burst of confidence quickly faded away and he hurried to his seat besides Erwin, heels clacking, robes swaying, and jewellery clinking all the way.

A bell was rung and everything began. Mouths opened and began greeting one another, hands were stretched and shaken. Eren fought against his natural instinct to kill and forced himself to look at the Frost Giant sitting across from him.

Disgusting. He almost spat on her, but he knew that it was forbidden.

"It is a pleasure, Lord Jaeger." Spoke the Frost Giantess, her black hair was put up in a sophisticated bun but her bangs still fanned across her face. Her skin was a rich dark blue.

Eren clenched his fist underneath the table, he would control himself. "Oh no, milady. The pleasure's all mine. May I inquire your name?" God what he would do to see her dead on the floor. Her black blood puddled on the pristine white floor.

"Lady Mikasa Ackerman. I am the head of the Weaponry division." She stated as a matter of factly.

Eren clenched both of his fists. "Oh? How exciting."

Mikasa's slanted eyes narrowed, the red orbs staring at him with an uncomfortable intensity.

"Lord Jaeger, I bid you no harm. This war is a mistake but I cannot ever hope to gain your forgiveness for what my kingdom did to your family." She said, her red eyes trained intently on his own sea-green, clashing colors for clashing beings.

Not even two minutes and Mikasa Ackerman was already reading him like an open book.

"Please do not bring personal matters into this conversion, Lady Ackerman." He growled, returning her gaze with an equal intesity, if not even more. "This is a meeting for peace, not to get people riled up with mentions of past wrongdoings."

Mikasa calmly nodded. "I agree, but please. You are looking at me as if you want to rip my head off." She looked at him knowingly.

Diversion tactics were one of Eren's favourite ways to avoid anything undesirable. "How was your ride to Castle Utgard?" He questioned quickly, unclenching his fists because while his hatred for Frost Giants was till strong, Mikasa Ackerman openly admitted to him of their faults and even kinda apologised to him. It meant a lot.

A smile wove its way on Mikasa's face and the Frost Giant next to her did a double take. "It was quite horrific. The cushions were horrendous and my rear is still sore."

Eren sniggered, attracting the attention of a few members. The Frost Giant next to Mikasa looked at her with wide eyes.

"Better than mine at least." He said with a bright gleam in his eyes. "I was so fed up I turned into a dragon." He admitted sheepishly, leaving out the important fact that he really transformed because he didn't want to meet any Frost Giants.

Mikasa held back a snort. "Gothi Jaeger, I cannot believe you." She laughed softly, before bringing up a hand to cover her pink mouth. "I can just imagine your dragon form stomping around angrily in the snow." She laughed a bit louder, but not too loud.

Eren blushed, his face probably looked positively scarlet due to the makeup applied. "I did not stomp!" He protested, shocking himself at how easily conversation came with Mikasa because while she was admirable, she was still Frost Giant.

The Advisor leaned into the conversion. "He stomped and melted the snow in his wake."

Eren looked at Erwin with a faux betrayed look in his eyes. "You go join another conversation." He said and Erwin turned with an unnoticeable eye roll and focused his attention to the others.

"Lady Mikasa, are you laughing?" Rang out a deep voice. Eren couldn't help shrink back into his seat at the sheer power just the voice radiated.

Mikasa's lightened expression instantly darkened and her red eyes flashed so dangerously Eren instantly sat up straight and on guard.

"Oh don't give me that look, dear sister." The condescending voice came from the man on her right, the one who had been turned around the whole time so that Eren didn't get to see his face, unlike the other one.

Eren felt his power physically shrink when the man turned. Everything about him omitted pure power and control. His skin was a pale ice blue, paler than any other Frost Giant skin he'd ever seen. He had Midnight black hair fell above his eyebrows as well as an undercut that reached his ears and sideburns. The impassive eyes, weren't red. They were a steel gun-metal gray with red irises and they pinned Eren down where he sat. The Frost Giant wore a decorated black military uniform with a plethora of ribbons and metals pinned and dangling on his right breast, beneath the pocket. There were ink black tattoos of what looked like ancient symbols on his neck and Eren assumed that the Giant had more underneath his uniform.

Eren hated the man. He loathed his everything, down to the fringe on his uniform. The only solace he received was the fact that this certain Frost Giant was anything but a Giant. While he was taller than Eren, who was 5"6, it appeared that he was what one would call a 'midget' as he seemed to be about 6"7.

Admiral Levi was a goddamn midget.

"Who is the beautiful young man you are shamelessly flirting with, Mikasa?" The Admiral looked over Eren with a leering gaze. "A Jaeger, hmm?" The voice sent chills down Eren's spine as well as heat.

This was the monster who killed his family.

Eren was always told monsters would be ugly, horrifyingly so. Not treacherously handsome and muscular.

It only made the passionate hate multiply.

"Yes, a Jaeger." Eren nearly spat. "Disappointed you failed to rid of us all, Admiral?"

Levi rested an arm behind his chair and picked up his wine glass in what Eren thought was an incredibly awkward and difficult way of doing so. He raised a thin eyebrow in what Eren perceived as amusement.

"Oh? You are quite the spitfire." The Admiral drawled out. "Sadly, I shall not be provoked by a green little thing. The past actions are done and they all happened for a reason. The prospect of peace is the only thing that matters as of right now."

Eren felt like a child being chastised by an elder. It enraged him further that the Admiral was actually making sense. Eren always built the Frost Giant to be barbaric and uneducated but the Giant in front of him was anything but that. He could sense a vicious cruelty that the Admiral was capable of and Eren wanted nothing more to exploit it.

"Please mind your tongue when speaking to the High Priest of the Hidden Kingdoms, Admiral Levi. While I do not know how your kind treats one another, my people show some semblance of manners when talking with each other." Eren sassed, smacking his lips together at the end to smear his lipstick.

Levi's eyebrow twitched and Eren felt a surge of victory shoot through him when the Admiral eyebrow twitched and his weird hold on his wine glass tightened.

"You little sh-"

"Brother!" Admonished Mikasa from the side, where she had been observing the two men silently fight for dominance; Eren would never admit that Levi easily won. "Leave Lord Jaeger alone." She demanded lowly. The resemblance in their behaviour was striking, even if their phenotypes differentiated.

"I am offended that you chose him over me, sister dearest." Said Levi in a bored tone, the Frost Giant looked anything but offended. His face remained emotionless but his body language spoke for him.

"Lord Jaeger isn't a rude midget." Countered Mikasa.

"Be qu-"

"Friends, King Pixis and myself welcome you to this summit for peace." Boomed the King of Jotenheim from the head of the table, about seven chairs down from where Eren sat. "The feast will be brought out in a short while, tomorrow will be the lengthy meetings between militaries and King Pixis and I." The king of the Frost Giants dark blue skin made Eren want to hurl unlike Mikasa's. "Let us enjoy the merriment while we can." Spoke the king in a low voice. "Obtaining peace is a nasty road to head down. Let us be prepared for the arguments to come." He raised his full glass of red wine. "To peace!" He cheered, spurring on the rest of the occupants, Eren included, to raise their glasses as well.

"Hurrah!" Exclaimed Eren as did the rest.

It was quiet afterwards for a few seconds as everyone was gulping down their decadent wine, but the chatter soon started, albeit with a few sporadic arguments and fights, up again and Eren felt a tap on his shoulder.

It was the herald from before and the human looked absolutely scarlet. "Gothi Jaeger? Admiral Levi!?"

Eren turned fully in order to face him, Levi just nodded and stared. "Yes?"

The boy gulped under the Admiral's sour glare, his blush dying down when his gaze averted from Eren. "Both of your presences' have been requested by King Pixis and King Laufey."

Eren's grip on his glass tightened, making a small crack in said glass out of consequence.

"Shit." He muttered under his breath, not daring to look up at Mikasa nor his arch-nemesis, or who he saw as his mortal enemy despite that fact that the Admiral probably saw him as a bug he failed to squash.

He made Eren's blood boil.

The two got up, much to Eren's annoyance, at the exact same time, attracting the attention of practically everyone in the grand hall. As Eren walked up, he felt eyes wander over his body and linger; it left him feeling nothing short of violated and humiliated. He never did well with being called out nor did he do well with being an object of desire.

Not since his father, and made him sick to his stomach.

"You look constipated." Said Levi bluntly, not caring that one of the Frost Giants and several of the Military Police commanders looked at him funny.

Eren fumed, even though there was a little part of him that thanked Levi for the distraction. "You look short." He snarked.

The Admiral paused in his tracks from across the table and glared at Eren with eyes that turned black as death itself. Eren froze, his reddened lips parted in what could only be described as fear.

Admiral Levi's gaze flickered down his face and stared at his lips for a quick moment before his eyes reverted back to their normal colour and he continued walking, leaving Eren shaking slightly, frozen to the spot where he stood.

"Our lieges are waiting, Lord Jaeger." Commented the Admiral even though he knew why Eren was rooted to the spot in fear. "Come." He beckoned and Eren took a cautious step forward before speeding up to join Levi at the head of the table.

It angered him how easily Levi could put him in his place like a dog.

King Pixis introduced Eren to King Laufey as did King Laufey with Levi. The two kings chatted over some bleak subject before King Laufey turned to Admiral Levi with an expectant expression on his face.

"Please escort Gothi Jaeger to the library and introduce him to your squad." Commanded King Laufey.

Eren was as confused and shell shocked at the request as Levi.

"Don't give me that look, dearest boy." Eren saw the Admiral's jaw clench at the nickname. "It is of chief importance that the Head Priest of the Hidden Kingdom be aquatinted with you. You two young men are both the star soldiers of our kingdoms. It would make sense to bond." King Laufey raked his eyes over Eren.

"Oh. Please excuse my question, but is it Gyoja or Gothi?"

Eren clenched his jaw. "Gothi, King Laufey." He said forcibly polite.

King Pixis laughed for Eren's sake. "One can hardly tell, eh?" He joked in order to lighten the atmosphere.

'Even with this make up one I am still obviously a male.' Eren though placidly. 'No breasts and my shoulders are too broad.'

"Let us head over then, Lord Jaeger." Said Admiral Levi gruffly. By the look on his face, Eren could tell he was anything but pleased.

_'You're not alone, you asshole.'_

"I am following you, Admiral."

"Tch."

Eren always seemed to walk straight into the beast's domain, but this time, it was the beast that was leading him.

* * *

**A/N:**

**finally. lol, i myself have been waiting for this chapter. i hope it was okay. kinda long though. guess who's next... heh. comments are welcome as is feedback. **


	5. Chapter 5

The hallway was a flamboyant mess. Like Rococo had an affair with pastel colors and unbridled luxuriousness. Eren had a hard time fixating on the dreary portraits of the ancient Yaela lords who actually had lived in the castle because the ridiculous, clown-like armor caught his already too short attention span.

"Horrible isn't it?" The Admrial's low voice rumbled throughout the hallway; consequently, making Eren shiver slightly. Admiral Levi's voice was like steel: smooth, strong, and cold.

"It's like the fuckers got sick of designing and left the real work to snot nosed toddlers while they went to take a shit." The Admiral judged, not really searching for conversation though. "That's a real world problem right now." He added after a moments breath.

Eren went slack-jawed. No military man or woman, especially one of such a prestigious rank as the Admiral spoke like such a sailor. It was a blatant lack of professionalism and insubordination because cursing was strictly prohibited.

_'I do it all the time, though. Only in front of people close however.' _Eren closed his eyes in contemplation. All the dirt he found on Levi would be useful. '_But it's different because we are neither comrades nor friends. I'm over thinking this.'_

"Quit shittin' your pants because I said some colourful curse words, brat." Snapped the Admiral, noticing Eren's hard stare of disapproval. He regarded Eren heavily. "Your innocence will be your downfall."

Eren's fists clenched in anger at the disrespect. How the holy hell did such a Frost Giant like Levi Ackerman achieve such a rank as the one he held?

"Possibly," Eren conceded. "But my '_innocence_', as you so ignorantly call it, could also be my strength. You don't know me, you unprofessional asshole." Oh god. There he went, preaching bullshit that was entirely word vomit. "You don't know what my strengths and weaknesses are. Your aura may be blocked by that hideous dark magic you Frost Giants use, but I can tell that you're a real monster, Admiral."

"Hold your insolence." Demanded Levi darkly. "Haven't you heard? This is a peace conference. Not a conference for twiggy little brats with a rage complex to gripe about past happenings.

Wrath seeped into Eren's very soul. As it did ever so often, making him forget his surroundings and who he was talking to. "You pig." He spat, despite the fear caused by the Admiral that crawled up his body, whispering haunting threats and forcing a cold sweat to break out once more on his face.

This was getting out of hand. Both men knew it. Pride however, was a solid, influential thing; especially for dragons and Frost Giants.

Levi had stopped walking as soon as Eren had gone on the offensive. His black uniform stayed crisp and pristine even as his muscles rippled and tensed underneath the enchanted fabric. He could feel his fangs length and the hidden poison embedded in his gums begin to secrete. Eren couldn't see his defense going up though. He was too much of a green boy and unskilled when it came to observing your enemies.

"You hold a wicked grudge, Gothi." Levi observed grimly, his black eyes narrowing dangerously. "It seems to me that you are too young to discern what needs to be done and what wants to be done. I have already told you this in the grand hall. Listen to your elders."

Eren gulped, he'd noticed the Frost Giant's eyes' color get denser, murderously so, as Levi looked down upon him. A tell tale sign of someone summoning magic. He could take this midget-well a midget by Frost Giant terms.

Eren was too brash and violent for his own good.

"It seems to me to you have trouble separating what is right and what is wrong. You killed my family." Eren snarled, he too, felt the magic inside him boil and rage, begging to be released and wreak havoc. Peace be damned, Eren wanted to prove he wasn't just a bug, but a dragon that lusted for justice.

"Embed this into your head, you foolish little child." Levi's eye brow twitched but his face, it stayed the same: disinterested and unemotional, as it had since Eren met the man. "Order is everything."

Anger bubbled up in him, threatening to overflow and pour out of his body. "Excuse me?" Eren nearly screamed, his pupils transforming into narrow slits.

The only representation of the Admiral's inner turmoil was when his hands snapped open to show off his sharpened claws, much more deadly and thicker than Eren's. "Nothing-_nothing_ is done without a reason. The balance in the magical world must be restored when disturbed. Your father needed to be stopped." Levi explained, an eerie gleam alight in his shrunken pupils when he took in Eren's rigid form. "Little Gothi doesn't seem to have an inkling about what I'm saying." He mocked.

Eren took a step back. Hefty emotions bombarded him as well as horrid memories from the days of his past, starring his father.

"Shut up." If the Admiral kept on talking, Eren would do something rash. "Shut up."

While memories were sacred, there were a select few he wanted to forget.

"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" Growled the Admiral, for the first time since the short while Eren had known him emotion, anger, was showing its ugly self on his face. "Do not command me to do anything when you brought this on yourself. If I recall correctly, which I do without question, it was you who instigated this childish little spat. Now you tell me to cease talking because I mentioned your father? I do not think so, little brat."

Eren trembled with constrained power and anger. "Shut up. Shut up. _Shut up!"_ He screamed, blasting forth a surge of dragon magic that charred the horrendously decorated walls, the awful armour, and the gag inducing carpet, wiping away the ugliness with a powerful wave of burning oranges, reds, and crystal blues

"You unbelievable little shit." Seethed Admiral Levi. Eren couldn't see the Frost Giant for he was cloaked in burgeoning clouds of smoke, but he could feel the intensity of his aura. No wonder Levi kept it locked down under a shielding spell, Eren felt like his lungs were going to break under the sheer strength that his aura emitted.

Eren was so fucked.

"I-I didn't mean... Fuck I-it's Gr-Grisha." It had been a long time since he'd experienced true fear. It was a bitch to deal with and it hit him full on. He was shaking; breathing was getting more and more difficult as he tried to cast a shield spell against Admiral Levi's aura. "Akarth help me."

"Akarth sure as hell isn't going to help your sorry ass now." The cloud of dust and smoke had been blown away by a burst of icy wind. The Admiral's aura was a sinister blood red and snow was piled underneath his feet as excess from an overflow of magic. "Do you understand what you've done?" His voice notched up a few volumes but still remained deep. "_Do you?_" He snapped, his eyes turning a dangerous silver and pupils black. "Another war could start because of your fucking idiotic folly!"

'So that's what wrath looks like on him.' Eren thought mindlessly, too overcome by panic to actually answer the question directed at him.

Shouts. Loud and furious shouts came from below, from the very hall that the two warring magical beings had just came from.

Their magic had been detected.

"Fuck. _Fuck_." Growled the Admiral under his breath feverishly. "You-I have known you for forty minutes and already we've broken the law. This is insane." Levi ran a hand through his hair, messing up the gelled perfection with a loss of composure.

Suddenly, Eren felt a cold hand grasp his own overly warm one. "Wha-"

"We need to go." Interrupted the Admiral briskly, a no-nonsense command that made Eren want to salute. "Don't pop a boner on me because I touched your hand." Levi sneered.

"I won't!" Squeaked Eren indignantly. "Don't be so full of yourself, sir." He snapped.

The Admiral stopped once more in his tracks. "That didn't sound very respectful, Gothi Jaeger." He narrowed his eyes, making Eren tense.

He hated how weak the Frost Giant made him feel. He hated that the man was more powerful then him in seemingly all aspects. He hated that even his aura could crush him to dust. He hated him.

"Oh, please excuse me, Admiral Levi. I never meant to hurt your feelings." Eren drawled sarcastically because his mouth would flap open and endlessly talk back all day if it could.

"Tch. Fucking kid." The Admiral yanked his hand away from Eren's like it was something foul. "Next time you sass me, I'll fucking kick you so hard your fangs fly out." He threatened lowly.

Eren winced and the, "Yes sir." was out before he could stop it. Dragon fangs were extremely sensitive, prone to incredible pain if hit. The Hornback had no qualms about keeping his fangs safe though manners. Kind of.

More shouts and calls came from the stairwell. A few more minutes and guards, officials, whomever decided to check up on Jotenheim's strongest and the Hidden Kingdom's hope would be marching in the wrecked hallway, weapons armed and ready, magic controlled and waiting. It was in that few moments that an actual intelligent plan crossed Eren's mind. Now, it wasn't that Eren was dumb, it was just that his academic skills were lacking hence the low brain to brawn ratio. He blessed his grandfather in that moment.

"Let me fix the hallway." He chirped up. Yellow embers flickered from his fingers, falling slowly to the floor as they trembled with excitement. "I can do it. I've gone and mastered manipulation of the environment."

The Admiral regarded him with a careful eye. "But have you only worked with flora and fauna?" He delved.

Eren bit his lower lip and looked to the side. "Well... It's always worth a shot. I'd rather not get lashings because I attempted to burn you." He admitted, scratching his jewelled arm. The bracelets clacked together and Eren winced at the cacophonous sound. "Let me try." He asked.

The Admiral looked at him with an amused quirk of his eyebrow. "You are asking me for permission, Gothi Jaeger? Me? A murderer? A monster? Oh dearest me, what ever shall I do?"

He hated this Frost Giant so much.

_"Raqueth, raqueth miundel oligayrthi poi simbanya." _Spoke Eren in a deep, raspy voice. It didn't sound like him in the least but when one casts spells, the magic applies pressure on the vocal cords as it sifts throughout bodies. "_Joulandith rivaelia ereth quai oplyar Ii raqueth._"(Return, return to your given state)(Restore the plane of the ethereal and return)

Levi stepped forward, standing next to Eren. A soft sheen of ice had formed on his shoulders. The pale blue contrasting greatly with the black uniform.

_"Icilia gwandyth rui._" His voice was rich, like dark chocolate. Deeper than Eren had ever heard before. (The power of Frost seconds)

Eren whipped his head to look at the uniform clad Frost Giant. He couldn't deny the tingling feeling in his stomach from hearing the Admiral's voice possessed by magic.

_"Raqueth." _They cast in unison. An electric bolt shot through Eren when he and the Admiral spoke. It wasn't harmful however, it was quite the opposite. The two being's eyes met for a second, both baffled at the pleasant shock that sparked their bodies, before quickly averting their eyes. It was too weird to be anything more. (Return)

All around them, the residue from Eren's destructive spell seeped down the walls, the colours combining and swirling together as they puddled near the base of the walls. Left in their wake was the original wallpaper, untouched and unharmed. The same went for the armour and the carpet. With the Admiral's magic, waves of snowflakes and icy wind blew over the floor, instantly transforming the carpet back to the way it was before Eren flipped his shit. On Eren's side, the armour combusted into flames when his spell hit the weaponry, only to have the fire quickly die down and disappear, leaving polished clownish bronze and silver armour in its stead.

Within moments, the hall was sparkling and no reminiscence of magic wafted through the hall. The only hint was a small snowflake that landed atop of Eren's veil. It's translucence made it hard to see in the light.

As if on cue, dozens of guards, sorcerers and Frost Giants alike marched into the room from flung open doors. Leading them was none other than the two Kings themselves. Admiral Levi and Eren both took a step away from each other in order to compose themselves.

"Your hair and medals, Admiral." Eren hissed, motioning at the Admiral to fix the dangling awards, which were all askew. The same was said of his hair.

The Admiral rapidly levelled them and slicked back his hair. He then nodded to Eren, turning to face the young dragon before his eyes went wide. Eren froze in fear because if the Admiral was looking terrified, he definitely should be afraid too.

King Laufey approached the duo with enraged stomps. "What is the meaning of this?" He snapped angrily. "Admiral, I expected much more on your behalf in dealing with a young dragon!"

Eren gritted his teeth.

"Please let me explain, my king." The Admiral calmly requested.

Eren, through the corner of his eye, saw the Admiral's neutral expression stay put. He couldn't help but push aside his hate for a few seconds and stand in awe at the composed, professional Frost Giant in front of him. Perhaps he had been wrong about the Admiral.

_'No. He's a murderer and a monster.'_ Eren reminded himself as King Pixis rounded up on him.

"Gothi Jaeger. I thought you were mature enough to deal with... Oh my dear boy, what happened!?" Pixis's spiteful tone turned into great worry.

Eren was nothing short of incredibly confused. "What... Is wrong, my liege?"

The guards that stood at attention in the back started to break ranks, all looking at Eren. King Pixis stepped in between him and the Admiral with a curled lips.

"Explain your Admiral's actions, King Laufey." Pixis barked, his own aura flaring mildly in anger. He had obviously had Mike cast a blocking spell to hide most his aura because rulers always had stronger auras. "How dare you." Pixis growled at Levi.

Eren's eyes darted back and forth from king to king before his eyes met Levi's, who was looking at him with a glare. Out of annoyance, hate, worry, fuck-Eren couldn't read this man anymore than he could read a book about diplomacy. Which is short for saying he couldn't read shit about the Frost Giant next to him. Only that he had a small drop of sweat trail down the side of his face.

Was he nervous? Yeah. He was.

King Laufey blanched when he looked at Eren. "I am afraid that no words are coming to me as of this moment." He turned sharply to face the Admiral, red pupils shrinking in anger.

So much anger in this world.

"Admiral Levi Ackerman. If you do not exp-"

Eren, wondering about why everyone was fussing over him, looked down at himself and promptly took in a sharp breath.

His robes had been torn. How they even managed such a feat, Eren would never know.

They thought the Admiral had sexually harassed him.

"Sweet Sina, holy fuck-_uh_ I mean, Maria no." Eren yelped as he pulled part of his robe over the huge slit in the fabric that spanned his entire right leg. "I... Am so embarrassed right now." He whispered, pulling the veil over his face and turning to the side so that that mishap wasn't visible to prying eyes.

"Gothi Jaeger had a wardrobe malfunction and I was going to take him to Lieutenant Petra to help sew it back." Explained the Admiral. He made sure to eye both Kings with an unwavering look as he knew they couldn't pin point his lie.

King Pixis stepped forward and put a hand on Eren's shoulder, gently turning the scarlet red priest towards him. "Is what the Admiral is saying true?" He asked for confirmation.

Eren sure as hell wasn't going to tell him the truth: that Levi and him got into a sass fight and proceeded to goad each other until Eren lashed out. Oh no. Hell no.

Eren faked the best sniffle. He was so proud of that dramatic sniffle. "Yes, it is. One hundred percent."

"Okay, Jaeger. We get it." Growled the Admiral under his breath.

Eren forced down a grimace. "I was very embarrassed and hoped that it wouldn't come to this." He admitted, a false sympathy-provoking sniffle from him making Pixis back down.

King Laufey however, did not buy the lie entirely. "We also felt a surge of magic. Both from Gothi Jaeger and you, Admiral Levi." He regarded them with suspicion.

Levi cleared his throat and feigned slight embarrassment. "We both attempted sewing spells, in order to fix Gothi Jaeger's dress-"

"Ceremonial robes." Corrected Eren with a glare.

The Admiral's jaw clenched. "Oh. Please excuse me. _Ceremonial robes. _Anyways, it seems that both of our fortes are in fight magic. Not fashion." The Admiral ended with a completely fake small chuckle, shocking probably everyone in the hall.

King Laufey stared at them for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing heartily. Pixis just sighed and patted Eren's arm before gliding back to the hall, beckoning the soldiers at his command to follow. The Advisor of King Laufey, a middle aged Frost Giant who went by the name Armin, glanced at Eren shortly before tugging his King back to the hall with the rest of their company.

In a matter of minutes, Levi and Eren were once again alone in the hall. The silence was almost deafening, and it made Levi increasingly uncomfortable to be around. Eren hated the silence. It made him feel lonely, a feeling that was all too familiar with him. The desire to never be lonely again drove his passions, motivated his bloodlust. It was an overwhelming need. Not a want. He could discern needs and wants. It just took time and experiences.

"You are one sly fucker, Eren Jaeger." Cursed the Admiral, taking a deep breath. "Sniffling like a pitiful little child. Faking embarrassment like a goddamn pro." He swivelled and glared at Eren.

His name shouldn't have sounded so good.

"I almost lost my head because of you and your scantily clad leg." Levi looked at him balefully, but with an undeniable spark of interest, that much Eren did notice. "And we've only known each other for an hour, tops."

Eren raised his hands in defense, ignoring the comment about his leg that made a small blush form on his cheeks, making the snowflake fall to his nose. "Oh." He looked at it cross-eyed before the heat of his skin dissolved the ice structure.

"Fucking idiot." Deadpanned the Admiral before brooding down the hallway, face emotionless and back ramrod straight. "Let's go. My squad awaits, your dumbassness."

Eren let out a feral growl. "I am _not_ a dumbass." Levi was nowhere near close enough to call him 'stupid.' He couldn't stand being called dumb. He just couldn't because he already knew that he wasn't the smartest tool in the shed. People didn't need to remind him constantly of his failures. Eren already had enough of them.

Admiral Levi looked at him closely before giving a short nod. "Delay my last." He said aloud. "Follow me if you will, Gothi Jaeger."

So Eren did, holding his robe together tight with a pleasantly surprised aura and a tiny smile that broke its way out.

* * *

"Squad." Announced Admiral Levi as Eren and he stepped into the room.

Five Frost Giants ranging from 7"0 to 8"5 feet immediately stood at attention. A Giant with dirty blond hair half wrapped up in a tight bun at the top of his head was the tallest, standing tall and proud. The shortest out of the bunch was a pretty looking Giantess with a mild hue of blue skin and amber eyes that Eren thought were very beautiful.

All were taller than the Admiral and he. Eren had never felt so fucking short; like an preschooler meeting his teachers for the year. Another Giantess caught his eye. She was in the back of the formation and sported a gender neutral robe, just as he. The only reason he recognized her as a female was the curved facial structure and long brown hair she inherited. Her skin was closer to Admiral Levi's, a bit darker and with royal blue spots on random parts on her arms and neck. Her robe was nowhere near as elegant as his, but there was an air of royalty and strength that the silk fabric covered in intricate embroidery of ancient Nordic symbols held. It made Eren feel gaudy, over dressed.

"Who's the pipsqueak." Spoke up a Frost Giant in the back. His face was average, as was his height.

Eren gnashed his teeth while Admiral Levi took a step forward, placing a gentle hand on Eren's lower back and coaxing him forwards. "Oluo, mind your manners. You are addressing the Head Priest of the Hidden Kingdoms." He stated blandly.

The Frost Giantess in the back perked up and threw the book she was reading on the floor. "Why hello!" She greeted obnoxiously, coming up to Eren and shaking his hand with vigor. "My name is Hanji Zoë! You can also call me Hanji because Zoë sounds like a prostitute's name but it's really nice to meet you! I already know your name, Eren Jemal Jaeger. That's right, I read up on your background, getting info on my fellow Head Priest! Wow, your attire is so very grand! It makes me-"

"Wow. Could you not?" Interrupted the Admiral with a peevish look.

Hanji frowned dramatically and turned to Eren once more. "He's so mean to me and-Oh my! What happened to your dress?" She gasped loudly and held a hand to her breast, making the flush on Eren's cheeks bloom darker.

"Long story, Gyoja Hanji. And it's a goddamn ceremonial robe for Akarth's sake." He grit out, mindfully of the gaping tear in his robes.

"See, he calls me by my official title!" Hanji whined, the pout mostly directed at Levi.

There was a sigh from besides him. "Gothi Jaeger needed some assistance and after the whole fiasco with the two old geezers, the Gothi and I finally made it to the library. Petra." He turned to face the amber-eyed Frost Giantess. "We require your assistance."

The Giantess nodded and quickly shoved aside Oluo and carefully approached Eren before curtsying him. She was wearing a dark blue uniform, the same design as Admiral Levi but with less decoration and a more feminine hem. Eren placed a hand over his heart and bowed to her as well.

Petra offered her large hand to Eren, who looked at the offending limb with undisguised disgust. "Lead the way, Lady Petra." He offered instead of touching her.

Petra looked at him wearily and turned sharp on her heel to begin walking towards a vacant table.

"As you wish, Gothi Jaeger."

As Petra so carefully, and with a small pink flush on her cheeks, parted the robes to assess the damage, she kept on sending nervous glances towards Eren. It was quite comical, as even though Petra was kneeling down, her face was still level with Eren's and her hands, as massive as they were, were still gentle and thin as they expertly held the robes.

_'It's as if she's afraid I'm going to fry her to a crisp where she stands_.' He mused before the realization that what he was thinking was probably dead accurate hit him.

It had been the same with Mikasa.

Eren wasn't blessed with the ability to be able to speak or approach the other sex, unlike the smooth talker Jean. Hell, Eren couldn't even talk to his own gender without offhandedly offending someone someway.

While Petra was busy running her fingertips along the ripped seams, mumbling embroidery spell after embroidery spell, Eren calmly, as if approaching a rabbit, placed his hand upon her shoulder.

The reactions were instant. Out of the corner of his eye Eren could see Oluo clutch the edge of his chair's armrests until his knuckles turned white. Eld, the blond who was the tallest and Gunter, the Giant who remained silent throughout the whole meeting, both narrowed their eyes at him. The only ones who appeared nonchalant about the unwelcome touch were Gyoja Hanji and Admiral Levi.

Eren knew that they were on edge too. The Admiral, he just guessed because the man was an enigma but Gyoja Hanji's eccentric aura was darkened ever so lightly.

The coldness of Petra's body temperature made his hand burn unpleasantly, but that didn't stop him from giving it a light squeeze. His hatred for Frost Giants ran deep but at such a conference as the one he was at, there was no time for his wrath, there was no place for the hate he held for the Frost Giants of Jotenheim.

He wanted to kill them all. He needed push that wrath aside and deal with their presence because the Frost Giants weren't going anywhere.

Baby steps, Eren. Baby steps.

"Lady Petra, I bid you no harm. God forbid I hurt a hair on your head." Eren said in a hopefully believable hurt but assuring tone. "Please stop sending nervous glances my way, its making me very uncomfortable that a beautiful young lady such as yourself doesn't trust me." He purred.

Eren smiled, a forced one but at the same time an immensely proud one because hot damn if that wasn't as smooth as a baby powered skin.

Jean Kirstein, Akarth bless you.

Petra took the bait, perfect. "Oh no, please excuse my rudeness, Gothi Jaeger." She said, flustered. "I just...Well-"

"Gothi Jaeger, quit chatting up my subordinate." Said the Admiral bluntly, making both Eren and Petra blush innocently.

"No." Eren denied. "I wasn't trying- I was just-"

"Admiral Levi!" Scolded Petra, embarrassed. Her ministrations on his robe paused for the moment as she turned to glare at her superior officer.

"Aren't you gay, Gothi Jaeger?" Spoke up Hanji, a wicked smirk forming on her face. "No straight man sways his hips the way you do." She flat out giggled.

Eren wasn't sure what was redder, his headdress or his face. Probably his face. "I-I, _what_?!-that's-that's none of you business!" He snapped loudly, puffs of pink smoke seeping through his headdress and veil from his pointed ears. Admiral Levi was looking at him with another unreadable expression.

"Oh dear!" Observed Petra. "You've got pink smoke coming out of your ears."

Hanji laughed. "Only Fire Hornback's have that speciality, Petra. It happens when they're incredibly embarrassed." She explained, all too amused on Eren's behalf.

An anger at being ridiculed and humiliated started to take control of his senses. He didn't come into this room to be made fun of and be accused of being a homosexual. He didn't come into this room of blasted Frost Giants to be bullied and teased.

He'd had enough of their bullshit.

Abruptly, Eren stood from his chair, mindful of not smacking into Petra who was quite close to him. Without a word, he flicked his wrist and teleported himself into the hallway, a long ways from the library. He braced himself against the wall for a short second as teleportation spells were not only dangerous but draining as well.

Without further ado, he stomped down the corridor, unmindful of the black smoke that emitted off of him and fogged up the walkway. He didn't notice that his foot steps burned the carpet as his feet were aflame, red rivets of fire left in his wake.

Eren climbed down the stairs with a huff or growl on every step. Soon, he was back in the distasteful hallway that he had so covertly destroyed earlier. Seething all the way down until he reached the second set of stairs, Eren shot glares and the finger at every single portrait on display.

_'Gay?! Me?! I fucking know I'm gay, Gyoja Hanji. I knew it since my heat. I just tried to play it off coolly. You don't need to announce it to the goddamn world_!' He yelled internally, his cheeks burning bright as he remembered the Admiral's eyes on him, scrutinizing and judgmental. '_Saying such a scandalous thing in front of the famous, or infamous on my side, Squad Levi. She's a nasty bitch that's what she is. They all are._' He felt tears prickle his eyes out of sheer frustration and humiliation.

Reaching the last corridor before the Grand Hall, Eren took a deep breath to compose himself. He knew he was over emotional but felt like this time, his reaction was nothing but normal. Honestly, he had his own demons to battle about whether or not he wanted to go down the hazard road of being a homosexual and it wasn't Gyoja Hanji's place to empower them.

Once he figured that his eyes weren't as red and puffy was they before, Eren made his way towards the Grand Hall. He could already hear the boisterous shouts of drunken officials and the high pitched giggles of doted on women from where he stood. Deciding that it was best if he didn't participate in their festivities because he would undoubtedly get drunk, Eren turned around and headed for the entrance to the garden down the hall.

The entrance wasn't anything special, just two metal door with sprites and fairies melded on them, but the garden itself was large and quite beautiful.

A multitude of flowers, all ranging in color and ordered by the standard spectrum, circled the enclosed garden with glass walls. A cobblestone path led Eren to a wide circle that had three round tables with four chairs placed at each one. To his surprise, there was a Frost Giantess already seated at one, a tray of steaming tea and ladyfingers at her service.

"Lady Mikasa." Eren greeted as he walked over, anger cooled off and heels clacking. "Hands get a little too familiar in that rowdy hall?" He ventured.

Mikasa smiled softy. "Yes." She admitted. "I almost broke some necks." She laughed before paling at her violent, unladylike statement.

Eren, for once, read the mood and saw her panicked expression. "I know how you feel." He said, trying to lighten the mood. He liked Mikasa, Frost Giantess or not. There was something about her that he was undeniably attracted to. Not romantically, not sexually. He wanted to get to know her. It was his own choice. "Sometimes, I want to smash faces in because people are insufferable but hey, life's not fair."

Mikasa took a careful sip of her hot tea. "Yes. " She murmured. "Your view on Frost Giants seems to have greatened substantially from earlier this afternoon. Your guard is down and you are speaking to me like an old friend." She quirks an eyebrows, looking relieved and intrigued. "Did you have an epiphany?"

Eren laughed. "Well, love," He started and watched a red hue tinge Mikasa's blue cheeks. It looked weird to say the least. "I seem to have acquired the ability to separate wants and needs." Scratching the back of his hand, Eren took the ladyfinger Mikasa offered, he had not gotten a single bite to eat.

"I _want_ to have my revenge on the Frost Giants for my parents." He continues, Mikasa pressing him on. "But I _need_ to come to terms with my rage and control my wrath. I _need_ to learn to deal with the Frost Giants." He took a strained breath. The concept of coming to peace with his anger incredibly foreign.

Mikasa picked up a napkin and regarded him closely. "You deal with me." She pointed out as she wiped leftover cream from the side of his face. "You even let me touch you."

With a frown, Eren flicked the napkin away. "Yeah, well you're special." He stated, ignoring the flushing of her cheeks. "7"3 with some crazy muscles and a kind personality. Makes me wanna call you 'sister.'" He grumbled.

Chuckling, Mikasa pressed a hand on the side of her tea cup. "Adorable... Little brother."

"No. Don't say that. You're ruining your image." Eren groused. "I am your big brother. Wait, how old are you?"

"Fifty-seven years of age." Mikasa curtly replied.

Eren left the garden with an stormy aura and Mikasa laughing all the way.

"Only by six years, Lady Mikasa! Six years!"

It only made her laugh harder.

* * *

It was a mistake going into the Grand Hall. Eren understood Mikasa's reasoning for leaving as five separate culprits, gender unknown for he hightailed it to a different part of the room, decided his ass was the sexiest thing they'd ever seen. At least two of them were Frost Giants/Giantesses because they created a shadow as they loomed over him and their hands could grab all of his ass at once.

Along with the decision to obtain some actual nutrition and pilfer the buffet table instead of attempting to try and grab some food at the crowded table, Eren stealthily grabbed a plate and piled it with cake before heading towards the door.

He was stopped by King Pixis's voice beckoning him over. Begrudgingly, he complied to the order and sulked over with his plate full of Tiramisu, Red Velvet, and his all time favorite, German Chocolate. Looks like his self pity sugar binge would have to wait.

"My dearest Gothi! How the heck hav' ya been?" He asked drunkenly as he patted Eren heavily on the back.

Eren struggled to balance the plate of sugar in his hands. The king was quite strong despite his feeble appearance.

"I've been fine." He said, not really in the mood for conversation.

Advisor Erwin peeled the wine glass from his face. If he was actually drunk or just pretending for the sake of his king (Eren knew it was the latter because the Advisor was a responsible man in all aspects), Erwin did a good job at both.

"How was your meeting with Admiral Levi? I assume he introduced you to his squad?" Erwin cocked his head. The bastard knew exactly what happened, Eren could see the amusement in his eyes. Fuck him.

With another forced smile (his face was really starting to hurt), Eren brought his plate closer to his person when prying hands made their way towards his German Chocolate slice.

"They were very kind and trustworthy people." He answered, raising his voice up a notch so that King Laufey could hear him too. "I enjoyed their company greatly."

"Is that why you left so suddenly?" There it was again. That damn deep, commanding voice and that broad body casting a shadow over him. "Lady Petra was quite hurt about not even getting a _'thank you.'"_

_'Oh fuck you, you colossal ass.'_

"Good sir, I'm afraid I haven't an inkling about what you're going on about. Maybe if you hadn't have been reading that scandalous book of yours, you would have noticed that I announced my departure." Eren countered, determined to save his hide no matter what.

The Admiral raised an eyebrow while Kimg Laufey shot him a dirty look.

"You've been r-readin' those bla-blasted porn books 'gain at meetin's, Admirable Levi?" Slurred the Jotenheim King.

King Pixis and Erwin collectively stifled a laugh while Eren burst out laughing. "Admirable Levi!" He laughed loudly, placing a hand on the table to balance himself. "P-please excuse me." He stuttered, unable to contain his giggles. "I must-I need... Sit." It was an opportunity to get the fuck out of there. He took it.

He picked up his full plate and sauntered over to an empty couch near the far glass window, clawing at perverted hands all the while. The distance between the laughing royals and monarchs and his couch was considerable. He appreciated it greatly. Stomach growling and mouth watering, Eren viciously scooped up a forkful of Tiramisu and stuffed it in his mouth, pulling the fork out languidly with a loud 'mmmh.'

"You call me perverse. Quit performing fellatio on the fork. I am so close to kicking your face in it's not even funny." Threatened the Admiral, who had popped up next to Eren ot of thin air.

Eren promptly choked on his Tiramisu and held back the reflex to spit it out, swallowing the rich sweetness laboriously.

"You-You teleported?!" He exclaimed, eyes wide and focused on the pissed off Admiral.

Admiral Levi scowled. "A pervert and a hypocrite. The Hidden Kingdom really knows how to pick'um." He said rudely.

Eren stabbed at his Red Velvet, mindful of his sacred German Chocolate, and slowly placed the fork in his mouth. Hollowing his cheeks out as he sucked the cake off of the silver utensil, he dragged out the fork and released it with a 'pop!' only to carefully lick the silverware with languid strokes.

Turning to face the Admiral, Eren let out an louder and breathier 'mmmmh.'

He was a little shit.

The Admiral's eyebrow twitched and he bared his teeth. "You disgustingly gay little cretin." He insulted, earning a murderous look from Eren.

"How dare you call me that?!" He snarled, setting his plate aside and standing up towards the Admiral; hating how he had to strain his neck upwards to look at the Giant in the face. "You take it back!" He demanded aggressively.

The Admiral stepped a foot closer to him and Eren felt like a child against the Giant's towering stature. With a large hand that almost covered the expanse of Eren's chest, he pushed the Gothi back onto the couch with an impressive amount of control.

Eren flopped back into the cushions and quickly re-situated his robes as they had ridden up. A pang of nausea and fear hit his stomach at the action. Admiral Levi wasn't his father. He wouldn't dare do the things he did.

"I believe pain is the most effective way of teaching, but alas, I cannot inflict any type of harm upon your body because of your ranking and where we are currently occupying." The Admiral was looking down on him, mocking and condescending. It infuriated Eren. "You are obviously too young for the responsibilities bestowed upon you. You have caused exponential damage to a relic of the past, insulted my squad, but most importantly, you have insulted and embarrassed me."

Eren felt his cheeks reddening. A mixture anger and embarrassment with a dose of adrenaline. "Your squad needs to learn some fucking manners. I might be young and inexperienced but I do not pry into others personal lives and humiliate them. I do not kill the family of a twenty year old dragon. I do not insult people I have just met for no reason. You do, Admiral Levi. You also need to back the fuck up for you are far too close to me."

Admiral Levi did not move. His feet stayed firmly rooted to the spot while the hand on Eren's chest pressed him harder into the couch. The dragon held back a spasm and his aura instantly turned a blinding orange, acute fear. The Admiral quickly relinquished his touch. He was familiar with the Gothi's horrid background and it was best not to trigger something at the moment.

"You are brash, outrageously impudent, stubborn, loud, and angry.. From the first time we met you did not treat me with the respect my rank calls, so I decided why should I treat you any different? The first time we struck up a real conversation you proceeded to rant and call me a 'murderer,' then blasted the entire hallway!" The Admiral growled, his anger increasing as he spoke but his voice was not loud enough to attract attention.

Eren wanted to cry. He was getting reprimanded like a little child. Talked down to about all of his faults and called out on every single wrong thing he did. He hated that it was the Admiral saying those things, but at the same time, he welcomed the hurt and pain because he hadn't felt it since his mother died. Since his mother, years ago, would call him out from his room and yell at him for getting into another fight with his brother, for not washing the dishes, for cussing out freely.

It hurt. It really hurt. Admiral Levi might not have been hurting him physically, but he was kicking his ass mentally.

Eren vaguely understood what Admiral Levi was ruthlessly berating him about afterwards. Something about Gyoja Hanji and his squad. He didn't care.

"Forgive me." Apologized the Admiral, his head held high and hands clasped behind his back. Eren wished he'd been paying attention. "While your actions needed to be reprimanded, so did mine. It was childish of me to instigate tension between us. I won't ever apologize to you again because I don't apologize to anyone; however, I-"

"I'm sorry." Eren said meekly, head bowed and well aware of how young he must have looked. "I am so sorry. Those things... I've been living in seclusion for my whole life. It's my fault. Everything. Please don't apologize to me. I must apologize to Lady Petra and the rest. I cannot forgive you because there is nothing to forgive." He would never admit that his voice cracked and Levi would never point it out.

"Not bad, kid." The Admiral mused after some time. "Not bad at all. There is one thing though, I must claim my fault on." He added on a serious note.

Eren turned his head and refused to look at the Admiral because unwanted tears were forming in his eyes and fuck it all if he was going to let Admiral Levi see.

"Go on." His voice trembled and he cursed silently.

"..." There was an awkward silence by both parties. "The mentioning of your sexual preference and my comment about it that was quite atrocious..." He heard the Admiral take a deep breath.

"It was uncalled for and immeasurable rude of me. I shouldn't have called you what I did-"

"A disgusting gay?" Eren spat and he could feel the Admiral tense.

A tear broke through his defense and he quickly dabbed at it with his sleeve, praying to Nimuwai that it didn't mess up his makeup.

_'Oh god. What am I thinking?'_ Thought Eren as he laughed acidly.

"What are you laughing at, Gothi Jaeger?" The Admiral's voice was constrained, as if he was trying to hold his anger down.

Eren turned, hoping that the Giant couldn't tell that he'd been crying. By the shocked look in Admiral Levi's eyes, the Frost Giant totally could. Great.

"Well, I was thinking about how I hoped this water that's leaking from my eyes doesn't mess up my makeup and then it dawned on me that maybe I am a 'disgusting gay.'" He said bitterly, closing his eyes. "It wouldn't be the first time someone's called me that either." He sighed before his eyes flew open.

He hadn't meant to share something so personal to his enemy. Hell, he hadn't even remembered that event until he wiped his tears away.

"I- I mean, well..." He couldn't really cover up his tracks.

Admiral Levi look at him sternly. "All the more reason for me to apologize for my actions. It shouldn't matter if you like it up the ass or not." Eren snorted. "Lord Odin, I haven't spoken this much since my last press conference."

Eren sniffled quietly and patted the cushion besides his own. The Admiral hesitated for a moment before carefully sitting down, making the couch tilt in his favor. Levi still loomed over him, sitting or not. They made quite the sight.

Grabbing his plate, Eren lifted his fork and picked up a bird sized portion of his German Chocolate cake, coming to the conclusion that it had been a long ass day and he fucking deserved some love.

"When was your last press conference?" Eren said conversationally.

The Admiral watched him eat. " Sixty years ago." He answered, watching Eren pick at his food like a fifteen year old. "Did you lose your appetite?" Levi asked cautiously.

Eren scoffed. "Akarth! You're not my guardian! I am perfectly capable of feeding myself how I want to!" He said, disbelief coloring his voice. "For your information, all this drama and feelings shit made me lose my appetite." He violently stabbed his fork once more into the Red Velvet cake. "The sweets suck anyways."

"You are fifty-one years, am I correct?" Pushed the Admiral.

Eren sighed. "What's the date?" He always forgot his birthday.

Admiral Levi looked at him oddly. "It is the twentieth of April, why?"

Missed it again. "That makes me fifty-two." He said as a matter-of-factly.

"You missed your own birthday?" Questioned the Admiral, his back was rested against the uncomfortable couch and his hands were folded in his lap. "You're an odd little dragon."

With a shrug, Eren pushed the tiramisu into the German Chocolate. The contrasting sweets collided into each other and contaminated the other with icing and syrup. "It doesn't really matter to us dragons. Only birth and death." He informs.

A low, rumbling sound came from the Admiral. "Well, what do you know. I have learned something new today."

"Good for you."

The two beings entered a comfortable silence. Eren's fork randomly scratched against his porcelain plate and Levi's hand sometimes came up to swat some dust out of his face while the partygoers lingered and went. Outside the windows, Eren thought he heard moans and grunts from behind the bushes but brushed it off until they became more prevalent. With red tinged ears hidden behind his headdress, he turned around only to catch a glimpse of white long legs dangling off large blue shoulders. Instantly, he had whipped around and tugged innocently at his veil. Frost Giants have superb hearing, as do Dragons, so it wasn't surprise that the Admiral heard too.

"Looks like the relation between our two countries is growing splendidly." The Admiral hummed.

Eren buried his face in his hands, his heart and mind racing. "How the fuck is his dick going to even fit inside of her?" He wondered aloud candidly.

The Admiral slowly turned his head towards him and Eren blanched.

"Uh. That was supposed to be my inner dialogue." He said ashamed, but not really.

Admiral Levi snorted. "What has this world come to? Pretty little dragon priests mulling over Frost Giant dicks. Odin grant us peace." He rolled his eyes, unfazed by Eren's crude remark.

"How old are you?" Eren suddenly asked (diversion tactics) after about thirty minutes of enduring moans and labored grunts. He needed a distraction because an unwanted boner was in his near future.

"Three hundred and fifty two." Admiral Levi replied automatically.

Eren whistled. "Wow. That's a three hundred year gap between us."

The Frost Giant next to him bristled awkwardly. "How about you not venture in that area of discussion, little dragon."

"Don't call me that, frostie."

"No." Said the Admiral flatly. "No frostie."

"No little dragon then." Eren counterattacked. The heated noises had come to an end a few seconds ago and Eren had a burning curiosity to turn around and find out who the culprits of public indecency were.

As if reading his mind, Admiral Levi shook his head softly. "Mind your own business, you fucking little lecher."

Eren opened his mouth to sass back but the sound of silverware hitting glasses reverberated suddenly throughout the hall. Both of the Kings had stood up, their faces devoid of any sense of drunkenness. King Pixis spoke first.

"Attention! Attention! Please stop stuffing your bellies and pleasuring yourselves for a moment." Eren swore he heard the Advisor groan at his king's words. "This feast has been spectacular! The people, even the ones who have corrupted the sacred garden, have been an audience with hearts of gold! Those two, the strongest solider's of our nations,"

Everyone turned to look at Levi and Eren, who both sat up straight and flashed a regal aura.

"Who have been cussing each other out for the past seven hours," Eren twiddled his thumbs while Levi huffed. "Have been spectacular!"

"Needless to say, King Laufey is beat and so am I, so you all are dismissed! Let us head to our separate chambers and have a good nights rest." Ordered King Pixis with his arms outstretched.

"Wait what? Nobody told me we were staying the night?" Eren looked around for his trusty Advisor, questions on his tongue and confusion tainting his aura.

Admiral Levi stood up, making the couch bang on the floor and Eren bounce up in the air before landing on the couch again.

"Old ass couches." He muttered and held out a hand to Eren, who looked at it dumbly until the Admiral rolled his eyes so hard it seemed like it hurt. "Take my hand, you shithead. I am attempting to be a gentleman towards you." He thrusted out his hand once more, tilting his claws away from Eren.

Precariously, Eren took it. His hand was so tiny compared to the Admiral's. It was also burning in comparison but unlike when he touched Petra, the coldness from the Admiral merely tickled and soothed his skin.

"Your hand is big. And cold." He commented as he smoothed out his robes and readjusted his headdress with his free hand.

Admiral Levi looked at him impassively. "Your hand is fucking tiny. And warm."

"Am I interrupting you stroking each others... egos?" Erwin came up behind Eren with a full glass of wine and an poorly hidden smirk.

Eren flushed at the connotation while the Admiral glared darkly at Erwin. "Still disgusting and annoying as always, I see."

"It is good to see you too, old friend. This war really soured our friendship, eh?" The Advisor smiled widely and Eren got the distinct feeling that he was intruding on a family reunion or something.

"Advisor, do you know where my room is?" He asked before the two friend's conversion got any deeper.

Nodding, Erwin rubbed his fingers together and splayed them out in the free space next to Eren. Dark green sparkles and dust flowed from his finger tips. The waterfall of sorcery glistened and shimmered like actually water and puddled in front of Eren. A whirlpool of neon greens, forest greens, and ocean greens swirled together for a few seconds before a lone eagle was born out of the magic pool.

Eren stared in awe at the performance, never having seen something like that before. Erwin smiled gently at the reverence Eren treated the bird with.

"My familiar will lead you to our shared room." He explained to the dragon. Seeing the dragon's more confused expression, Erwin went into more detail. "The overnight stay was a last minute decision but all of us, including you, have an extra pair of clothing. Since the abundance of rooms is short, I opted to share one with you."

Eren shook his head. "Oh, that's fine. I have no problems with that." He pet the eagle on its small head, loving the way it leaned into the touch. "Alright, eagle-"

"Marie." Corrected Erwin.

"You _creepy_ old man."Admiral Levi said with a disgusted look.

Erwin shrugged. "She agreed."

Eren glanced to the side and back at the eagle. "Okay... Marie. Flap your wings and let's go."

The eagle pecked at his fingers before flying off, circling the air while it waited for Eren to catch up.

"Goodnight, Eren." Eren guessed that the Advisor was comfortable enough in Admiral Levi's presence to call him by his name. He noted with amusement that Erwin was almost as tall as the Admiral.

"Goodnight Erwin." He turned towards he Admiral with a coy smile.

"Don't you dare, you insufferable brat." Growled Admiral Levi.

"Goodnight, frostie." Eren sang aloud. Cursing as Maire swooped down and attacked his head for being to slow. "Fuck you, Marie. I'm coming, Wall Rose you're a goddamn bitch." Marie nipped him again. "_Ugh_!" He swatted the air around him, but Marie managed to perch on his veil, squawking whenever he took a wrong step.

"_Goodnight, little dragon."_

* * *

**A/N: Long chapter again. Really sorry because I totally get carried away and then the chapter goes to shit like always. Reviews are highly appreciated and welcome! Thank you for putting up with this fic!**

_**rivaelia ereth: the scientific name for riren/ereri/rivaere. (it was a total accident too cause I just fucking like bang on my keyboard too)**_


	6. Chapter 6

Eren received a solid, wholesome two hours of sleep until Erwin's snoring, which was a monstrosity if Eren had anything to say about it, so abruptly woke him up. His body had been twitching and tossing for quite some time but as seeing that Eren was still asleep, he didn't process it.

Erwin's snoring should have been illegal.

_'A fucking Titan's roar, that's what it resembles. A motherfucking Titan.' _Eren thought grumpily as he balefully glared at the blond tuft of hair poking out from a lacy pink comforter.

Then there was the room.

Eren had questioned the designs of the castle as he mindlessly traveled through it the day before but the room Erwin and he had been assigned was eye gougingly disgusting.

It was obviously the room of the little ladies from whenever the relic was still inhabited but for Akarth's sake the beds were twin sized and Eren's clawed feet stuck out from beneath the thick, nauseating, and frilly overthrow. With a hopeless sigh, he violently nuzzled his face into the hard mattress and yanked the pillow over his head, desiring only peace and quiet. Erwin let out a particularly loud snore.

Eren's pointed ear twitched towards the source of the obnoxious sound and he promptly disregarded any semblance of respect and threw his pillow at Erwin.

"I'm going to shove a goddamn pipe down your throat if you don't stop making those awful noises!" He yelled at the Advisor, his face contorted in rage and his eyes reflecting sleep deprivation.

The Advisor blinked before his pupils widened and his eyebrows furrowed in understanding. With a silent nod and a weary look as he turned so that his back faced Eren, Erwin produced something that looked like a mouth mold and fit it into his mouth.

"My apologies,"Came the muffled reply and Eren huffed in embarrassment and anger before curling up and fixating his sheets and body into a more comfortable and secure position.

After a while, the young dragon found out that after one had been forced awake, it would require a certain amount of will and strength to force the body back to sleep. Sadly, Eren had neither will nor strength at 0300 hours and tossed and turned for a good thirty minutes. It was only after he had begun to burn the pink comforter, for he was getting too aggravated at his own lack of motivation for sleep, that Eren slid out of the guest room and tip toed his way down the darkened, ominous hall and towards the unlocked garden.

With the speed of a pixie and the grace of a dwarf, Eren hurried down the main hall and refused to look at the now eerie and perturbing shadows that the usually overly chipper and gaudy metal plating left in their wake. It was mostly due to the firelight, which was not magic but natural. Thousands of years ago, and especially in the human world, natural fire was mostly used but as the magical folk advanced and heightened their powers to what would have been perceived as a godly state, many persons found that created fire was had more longevity and range.

Along the walls, Eren saw shadows dance in swift motions, swaying rapidly as the magic swirled and spun from its orb. A chilling aura cast itself over the hallway, engrossing Eren and making the hairs on his back shiver. The coils of smoke omitting from his nostrils shrunk back. The armor seemed to leer at him, mocking his undefended self. It was as if there was a darker force that took a hold of the world at night, which threatened the prosperity and livelihood of the common people.

His mother had always told him that at night, the gates of _Helheim_ unbolted and the fiery depths of _Muspelheim_ let the Fire Titans and Demons roam the countryside, the city streets, the mountainous ranges, the vast oceans and seas to whisper little nothings in people's ears. Little nothings that gave way to war, death, and most of all, pain. Eren knew that most of what his mother had said were myths and legends passed down orally by story-tellers but the mention of the Fire Hornback's supposed ancestor, Surt the ruler of _Muspelheim, _made him shiver.

"Surt will ride out with his flaming sword in his hand at _Ragnarök_." Spoke Eren softly as he quickly neared the end of the ghoustly hallway. "All that is fair and good shall be left in his mighty wake." He finished with a rasp.

The aura in the hallway plummeted and began to suffocate Eren with an iron grip on his throat. He was fifteen feet away from the turn that would lead to the inside glass garden but some higher power had other plans on how Eren was going to spend his night. Tremendous amounts of power wafted from the stairs that he had climbed down and slivers of a magnificent gold curled around loose threads of the carpet, around Eren's toes. At first, Eren approached the strange magic with naivety and ignorance, letting the pure gold ribbons tighten innocently around his clawed toes and feet. It was only when the ribbons turned to shackles and coiled around Eren's feet so horrifically that he almost screamed out in sheer pain.

"Who dares to intrude on Royal premises?" Hissed a voice overshadowed by Eren's racing thoughts and the flashes of searing pain that bolted up his leg and trembled through his body. "Answer me." The voice commanded and Eren picked up on the last word.

It was enough to realize that he was being spoken to. "Release your m-magic, anonymous one." Eren said laboriously, trying to focus his energy on sassing an unknown person shrouded by a shield of golden magic and a vast aura.

"…Gothi?"

Eren's ears flickered to the source and his fangs lashed out. "If you know who I blasted am, why the fuck are you apprehending me?" He seethed, summoning his own magic through a fit of adrenaline and warding off the unwanted violence with a powerful surge of fire magic.

"Please forgive me." A lone figure, a Frost Giant, stepped out of the shadows in black assassin garb that was only registered for the Night Watch branch of the Reconnaissance Wall. A lone figure that was remarkably familiar. "I did not know it was you. If I did, I would have not resorted to violence. However, little dragon, what the hell are you doing prancing around in your night dress at such a time?"

If it was not for the direct insult of his quite expensive white silk robe, Eren would have called Admiral Levi out for being awake himself. Then he most likely would have proceeded to hound the Frost Giant on what, when, why, and how did he ever manage to convince himself that joining the Night Watch was a good idea?

"There is nothing wrong with my robe, Frostie." He snapped. "Besides, I am not the one who is sneaking around at a supposed peace conference in their Night Watch uniform. What _are_ you looking for?" He delved, not acknowledging the annoyed glance sent his way.

"That is entirely none of your business, Gothi Jaeger." The Admiral replied curtly.

Eren hummed and tilted his head to the side a bit before meeting Admiral Levi's eye with a grin. "Actually, it is. The fact that you are stealthily snooping around on neutral territory with either your king's approval unbeknownst to mine or just by your own regard does matter. If I were a lesser man, I would report your ass to my liege and all notions of peace would be dissipated. You know how much people value their privacy."

At the end of his spiel, Eren's grin cracked in its vigor as Admiral Levi glared at him stormily, golden specks; a stark contrast to the silver-blue ice magic that the Admiral had released just the day before. The magic he was using was a different type of magic, one that didn't come as a birth right but from the very depths of the soul. Admiral Levi was using purified soul magic, a magic so enormous in power that if built up, it could destroy an entire civilization. Purified soul magic was extraordinary but unbelievably dangerous to use. One slip up and the user's body would explode into a black hole and suck up everything around it until it closed.

Eren sucked in a breath and eyed Admiral Levi precariously. "You…you are using the magic of the unholy, Admiral; The _damned_ magic" He took a step back.

Soul magic was highly feared and seen as the magic of the forsaken. Only a few individuals could master soul magic but those few individuals had been consumed by their own greed and ended up causing massive destruction of the magical world and human world. There had been the Lord of Jiyura, the slayer of over three million magic folk just because of their race. Lord Jiyura had spread his influence into the human world and had possessed an Austrian man to continue his madness when the magical world had cast him away.

The Admiral scoffed. "I can see your thoughts as if they were my own, little dragon. We in the Night Guard go through rigorous training for the sole sake of dominating our natural instincts to conquer. I am not Lord Jiyura nor am I the God of Mischief. You assume too often, and it's always the worst." He said coldly.

Stepping over the rug's fringes, Eren went to lean against the wall, staring into the space before him. "You never know what could happen though. What if you lose control? What if your soul magic turns you into something evil?" He pondered aloud.

With a few swift steps, Admiral Levi had joined Eren in leaning against the wall and staring at the bland wall before them with a sort of hazed glaze. The two males were both lost in their own personal thoughts to care about some ugly wall.

Admiral Levi turned his head and looked down at Eren with the look of a Giant who had seen it all, resigned and prepared for anything—even death itself. "Then I will be terminated and all information and knowledge about me will be wiped from this earth, Gothi." He lowered his gaze to Eren's chest. "I once read in a awfully boring book that Fire Dragons revere memories as if they were their own kin. Memories to you are sacred relics, are they not?

Eren nodded, his face was pale from the nonchalant tone the Admiral took when he spoke of such a morbid subject. "So my memories of you would be erased if you were to lose yourself?" He whispered.

The Admiral merely nodded and lifted himself up off of the wall. "That sounds about right." He sighed. "It's a harmless process that is supposed to be kept confidential." Admiral Levi raised a finger to his lips. "It's our little secret."

"Wow, don't ever say that again." Eren replied, focusing on Admiral Levi with a perturbed look.

"I am wounded by your words, Gothi," Said the Admiral sardonically. "Words that you just spew out without any thought to them."

Lifting himself up, Eren turned on his heal and began to walk towards the garden, the Admiral in tow. "Quit insulting me. That is not nice nor is it appreciated."

Eren could hear the eye roll that came from the Admiral behind him. He let a small huff slip past his lips as he reached the moonlit garden. The lunar light shone down into the glass garden, its translucent rays scattered across various kinds of plants and shrubbery alike. Pearls of shimmering white light, the Luna Fae, glimmered as the faerie's wings beat steadily; harnessing the power of the moon to cast resurrection spells on dead and dying flowers. The young dragon stared at the serene scene before him until one of the faeries had spotted him staring and blasted a ball of faerie dust right at his nose. Eren stepped back, an instinct, quickly but the hardened ball of magic smacked his nose. The dust flooded into his nostrils and wreaked havoc as it caused nasal inflammation and itching.

The Luna Fae glared at him haughtily before darting off to join her other comrades at the south section of the garden. Eren was left with an incredibly itchy nose and some leftover faerie dust that had been strewn across his chest and upper body.

The Admiral came up behind him right when Eren felt the need to sneeze the most. He threw his head back for only a second before letting out a thunderous sneeze, one that shook the glass walls of the garden and caused a burst of flames to shoot out of his mouth.

From behind him, Eren felt a heavy blow to his head. Leaning forward and catching himself before he fell, the Head Priest shot the Admiral an unpleasant look but cowered slightly at the sight of the Admiral looming over him with an incredibly peeved glare.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now, Jaeger?" Admiral Levi scowled frightfully. "Didn't your guardian ever teach you to hold in your fucking _explosive_ sneezes?"

Eren looked down at the charred tiles and the damaged, some even disintegrated, plants that seemed to wallow in grief at the loss of their fellow flower mates. The young dragon sheepishly brought a hand to rub at the back of his neck nervously.

"It was the Luna Fae's fault." He pointed to one of the faeries that had ceased casting her spells in exchange for looking at him obtusely. "They assaulted me."

The Admiral adjusted his garb and paced past Eren. "Your excuses aren't even noteworthy. I can see the faerie dust on you but the fact that you let yourself be attacked by a two inch long magical sprite is beyond comprehension." He pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. "Clean that up." He demanded pointedly.

Miffed, Eren gave his own scowl at the Admiral and Night Guard as he too sat down, stepping over the ruined tile and lifting up his night robe so that it wouldn't drag along the charcoal ground. "Don't tell me what to do, Admiral Levi." He let go of the hem of his robe as he sat down. "We are not friends nor are we comrades, and you are most certainly _not_ my guardian." Eren snapped with an acidic bite.

Letting loose a deep chuckle the Admiral lifted his hand and opened his mouth. Whispers of dark times and ancient battles sifted through the air. A golden hue overwhelmed the base magic, an icy blue fog that wrapped itself around the Admiral like a vice. The soul magic danced along the tabletops, along the floor, the charred flowers, and the tarnished tiles. Everywhere the magic touched, its waves of gold left purity that Eren was enchanted to behold. The streams of Admiral Levi's soul magic stretched to the vast reaches of the garden, climbing up the glass walls and crashing back down when it reached too high. Gold seeped from the flowers, falling onto the ground and staining it wondrously before disappearing into thin air.

Eren was in awe. For such a 'evil' magic, it had to be one of the most ensnaring and beautiful wonders he had ever seen.

"Now, since I have cleaned up your messes twice in only two days, I believe we are acquaintances at this point, no?" The Admiral had a self-satisfying smirk, and Eren wanted to smack it off, no matter how minuscule it was.

"Uh…yeah," Eren sputtered, eyes now trained on the small upturn of the Admiral's face. "Of course we are. Acquaintances I mean." He flushed for no apparent reason, most likely his embarrassing ineloquence. "Did I say that we weren't? Well, I guess I was just—uh—confused…"

The soul magic quickly faded away with a snap of Admiral Levi's fingers and a tinge of disappointment shot through Eren. He didn't press for conversation and neither did the Admiral. Soon, the two magical beings fell into a peaceful silence. It was still an ungodly time of the night and Eren had only snuck out of his room to seek solace, finding the Admiral carrying out his Night Watch duties was just a bonus. Eren didn't know how many hours had past, and he couldn't recall when he set his head down.

All he knew was the warm touch of gold soothing him to sleep.

* * *

"I want to know where my goddamn Head Priest is and why his bed is a pile of _ash_!" Grit out King Pixis angrily as he paced back in forth in the Advisor's assigned room. "I bet it was you who snored him out!"

The Advisor grimaced. "What are you trying to say, my liege? I will inform you that I procured a mouth meld specifically for alleviating the Gothi of my snoring. He was rather adamant about me shutting up."

Pixis rounded on Erwin with anger. "Eren is needed in _ten_ godforsaken minutes for the official peace conference and you are spewing out childish excuses?" He raged. "The Hidden Kingdom is nothing short of fucked if we show up without our Gothi."

Erwin looked at the pile of ashes blankly. "It will show that we are not dedicated to achieving the peace we strive to achieve. It is a hostile threat from one state to another if their leading solider and head of religion does not-"

"Erwin, stop being a smart ass," Snapped the King with a scowl.

The Advisor just sighed. Some things never get old.

* * *

"Hey, wake up." There was a light shove to his left shoulder, the one that felt suspended in the air. Eren did not wake up. "Listen to me, you child; Wake up." The next shove was significantly harder than the last.

The chair squeaked as it slid against the smooth tile. The Admiral had pushed Eren once more, this time unmercifully. Eren bolted upright and looked around dazedly. "Wha…?" He asked, peering at the fairy dust still littered on his chest.

Admiral Levi looked at him strangely and then averted his eyes to gaze at the shrubbery with an expression that appeared sheepish. "It seems that we both fell asleep, little dragon."

Eren's eye widened in fear; He had a meeting—a meeting where his presence was absolutely detrimental and required. King Pixis would have his head on a literal silver platter if he failed to be present. "Oh _fuck me." _Eren groaned; panic seeping into his expression and limbs.

"I refuse," Said the Admiral, looking quite scandalized and offended by such an indirect proposition.

Flushing because of his blunder, Eren adjusted his robe and dusted off his chest. "That's not…_No_." He muttered as he turned around to sprint up his room. "I would change out of that… You're an asshole!" He exclaimed, angered by the fact that the Admiral had already changed into his uniform and looking immaculately pristine as the day they had met.

The Admiral feigned ignorance and picked at his perfectly trimmed cuticles. "Little dragon, what could you ever so possibly be blubbering away about?" His monotonous tone and extreme levels of sarcasm sent Eren into a small fit of rage.

He had about six minutes until his impending doom, Eren didn't have time to be yelling and goading Frost Giant Admirals who happened to look like gang bosses.

"Whatever you say,." He ended on a childishly high note, turning on his heel and walking away from the intensified atmosphere with his pride and dignity still intact. Looking back at the decision later, Eren found himself to be quite proud of how he handled the situation in such a mature manner. It was once in a blue moon that Eren actually showed some semblance of complete self-restraint.

Four minutes to swiftly head over to his room on the other side of the castle and to half-assedly throw on some kind of formal wear. In short, Eren knew he was screwed and it further spurred him on to meet the deadline head on and take the challenge presented to him on a rusty piece of shit platter and run a marathon with it.

Calling his inner powers, Eren sharply spoke in the language of the dragons. His voice was low and precise—summoning the wings that retracted and fit under his skin when he transformed into the form that most identified with being 'human'. The pair of black—his grandfather said _ebony_—wings grew from the hidden extra muscles Eren had, being a dragon and all, in between and underneath his shoulder blades. The initial breaking of skin was pure agony and it took everything that Eren had not to break and succumb to the pain from two sets of limbs, huge and thick, bursting from his upper back. Sickeningly grotesque was what describe the sounds; flesh tearing, blood squirting, limbs retracting and spreading, his muscles whipping back after being torn and smacking onto themselves as Eren's shoulder blades and upper back was brutally rearranged to accommodate his wings.

"Ug..ugh." He cried softly as he cast one more spell to complete the emergence of his wings. _"Levanteira, Frügal die Frieheit."_ (Rise, Wings of Freedom)

As Eren stressed the last syllable, bursts of pure black feathers covered the bare bones that stuck out of his body like an abnormality. They quickly filled in as the thick layer of skin and veins formed along the marrow. Eren was very grateful of the fact that he didn't have to witness the building of his wings—he could tolerate blood and guts but he could not tolerate seeing the growth of raw strips of muscles along his bones.

After the spell had completed, Eren quickly flapped his wings and darted down the hall, mindful of his wings enlarged span and the powerful thrusts of wind they produced. He had taken up a whole minute for his wings and was halfway to his room in a matter of seconds. Eren reached the Advisor's and his room with two minutes and forty seconds to quickly get dressed and head to the secondary hall, a much smaller but elegant hall solely designed for tedious and roundabout political meetings. The dragon burst into the room and, with a push from his wings, Eren almost collided with the closet in his haste.

He ripped of his robe and flung on a rich maroon colored tea gown, much to his distaste. Eren was more than peeved about the lack of a good ole pair of trousers and a button-down, a wife-beater, his lucky beige cotton shirt that Erwin had so pointedly shoved into the depths of the closet. Taking merely a few seconds, Eren examined the inside of his suitcase and was loathe to find tailored versions of tea gowns and priestly robes, all some shade of red or black. The quick thought of '_Fuck you, King Pixis.'_ stayed in his mind for quite some time afterwards.

In that particular instant though, Eren did not have the luxury to internally curse out his king and employer.

'_It's just for a few hours, Eren. Bear with it. Admiral Levi will be there—_the traitor, the murderer—_the surprisingly tolerable and all around douchebag Frost Giant that you have bonded with over the last day and a half.' _

One more minute to haul his ass to the meeting place and Eren's stockings weren't even on.

* * *

King Laufey stood next to his counterpart eyes scanning the full hall with a tense and all sorts of aggressive glower. "Where is your Gothi, _King_ Pixis." He asked, enmity seeping into his tone and causing a flood of antagonism to crash through the hall as if a dam had been cracked and destroyed.

Pixis himself stared intently at the doors, looking at the time and screaming at Eren and Erwin or Erwin and Eren, Ererwin—it didn't matter because the king was so close to just flat out detaining both equally incompetent and infuriating men.

'_No, Erwin is the exact opposite of incompetent. I am blessed by the seven gods and the holy one above that I have such a fine Advisor.' _The king snuck a glance at Erwin and was humored to find stress painted across his Advisor's face' he had not seen Erwin appear so constipated ever before. _'Right now, I would congratulate Eren on giving my Advisor mental constipation but that little whippersnapper's ass is grass. Jeopardizing such a fragile thing like pe-"_

The doors quietly opened and a certain small dragon, dressed appropriately and attractively—Pixis didn't like so many people staring at such a young man the way that some of the council members were and he made a note to change up his distant cousin and Head Priest's wardrobe some.

"There is my Gothi, King Laufey." Pixis sang happily, unable to stop himself from smiling because if Eren hadn't shown up right on the dot, there would have been total war; Civilian deaths, blood-painted streets, strewn corpses and festering bodies of grandfathers, mothers, sons, babies, lords, and peasants. The thought of the massacre and the excruciating pain of loss and death sobered the king from his mirthful state immediately. It was a deeper gratuity that replaced juvenile happiness, and in that moment, Eren deserved Pixis's respect the most. He had shown that he was capable of performing his duties that would benefit the well-being and lives of the Hidden Kingdom. While the young Gothi might have stuttered and caused strife in the beginning, he came through.

"Gothi Jaeger, my boy, how nice it is to finally see you." Pixis greeted with a broad smile accompanied by dangerously narrowed eyes; the image of masked discomposure.

Eren chuckled nervously, and he played with the white lace of his collar to help with the stress of being called out. "Please forgive my haphazard teetering between on time and tardiness, my liege. I am afraid that I lost track of time."

King Laufey joined in the well-concealed berating with an expression that spoke of past consternation and present assuagement. "Head Priest-Gothi—how wonderful it is to see your face." The King chimed in with a strained voice. "For a horrid twenty minutes, you had us basking in the face of pure terror." He feigned a laugh; the harsh sound rang through the hall and caught the councilmen's attention at once.

"Is that so…" Eren trailed off, the leftover feathers from his rapid transformation back into what was perceived as a normal human form clung stubbornly to the back of his dress.

The Advisor stepped up from behind the king and eyed Eren with placated stress. "Let us begin the meeting now that our Gothi has bared good tidings." _Since he actually fucking finally showed up; Eren, you are dead_.

Eren clenched his jaw at the challenge.

And so the meeting was commenced and a heated debate regarding the subject of levying taxes on commerce began: export and import—the taxes collected when the customs are cleared and ready for deportation from Jotenheim to the Hidden Kingdom. It was a subject that Eren's input was entirely unneeded and quite frankly unnecessary and futile. He was not the head of finances, that was Minister Lioyta's job, nor was he in a position to question anybody because being the Head Priest might mean power and prestige, but it most certainly does not mean skills in finance.

"Targeting free trade agreement countries is a good market entry strategy because buyers pay fewer tariffs for goods made in the Jotenheim compared with similar goods from countries without free trade regulations. The amount of money both of our kingdoms could save if we established such a democratic policy would be more than substantial. Opening Jotenheim's gate—as well as the Hidden Kingdoms—to each other will allow for more economic and social prosperity," Said King Laufey's advisor, Armin Arlet, in a voice that spoke of an intelligence and wit unrivaled.

Eren did not endeavor to listen in on the matter at hand until the unusual Frost Giant with the even more unusual hair spoke ever so collectedly and calmly, catching his easily strayed attention with the whip of his tongue. There was something about Advisor Arlet that made Eren want to figuratively and literally protect him from harm—it didn't matter that Advisor Arlet reached seven feet and eight inches, towering over Eren and making the quasi Napoleon—foul mouthed as well—of an Admiral look like a green boy who hadn't even reached his growth spurt.

One of the representatives of the Hidden Kingdom stood up haughtily and Eren visible shrunk back in embarrassment; for his kingdom and for the man himself. "Pray tell, Advisor Arlet. What are the benefits of letting the common people hold the reigns of our triumphant kingdoms' fragile economy? Their unfettered greed and lack of respect for when it comes to the actions of the monarchy is what will drive Jotenheim and the Hidden Kingdom to their demise. Giving the irrational masses power—of those things that weaken and tend to the dissolution of a commonwealth that is the worst one yet! The lower classes are the main adversity!" The man shouted as others, from Jotenheim and the Hidden Kingdom alike cheered in agreement at the councilman's spiel.

With awe and a hint of jealously, Eren watched as Advisor Arlet stepped forward, a contemplative look set on his face. The blond Frost Giant's eyes were sharp, observant and analyzing the wizard as one would while regarding an animal. "You have been delving into too much of the radical literary works of the lower specimen. Pray tell, councilmen, you have not merely requited Hobbes for your own appearance? The very fact that your own thought or voice has been cast aside in order to, quite poorly if I may add, digress from the subject at hand and insert your own influenced, unreliable, and illogical bias shows that you are not capable of understanding a simple matter such as free trade." Advisor Arlet opened his mouth to speak more but a dark glare from his king made his mouth shut instantly. "Continue on." He said gruffly, his annoyance visible to a keen eye.

Eren was stunned. "Wow." He blurted out, catching the attention of a few members with his naturally loud voice.

From the other side of the table, Advisor Arlet smiled. "Thanks."

With blushing ears and a drained glass of wine, Eren cleared his throat and focused his line of sight on Armin. "That was incredible. I don't know whether I should further harass you for brutally calling out one of my subordinates or applaud that spectacular show of brainpower," Eren thought aloud.

"Gothi Jaeger, if you insult shroom head over there, he will pick you apart like a doll and ruin you from the inside out," Informed the Admiral from his place next to Advisor Arlet.

The two Frost Giants were seated parallel to Eren and Erwin while, as the day before, the two kings sat side by side. It was a strange arrangement the Eren could only assume only be for such an event as the one he was at because it was the norm that a husband and wife sat side by side, not king and king.

Advisor Arlet shot Admiral Levi a withering glare and Eren chuckled softly, bemused at the two Frost Giant's banter. "I'd like to see him try." Eren grinned jarringly, a defiant gleam in his eyes.

"Oh ho?" remarked the Admiral. "Did you hear that, blondie? Little Jaeger over here isn't afraid of you and your mighty deduction powers." Admiral Levi snorted.

Eren sat up straighter, slightly offended by Admiral Levi and still peevish about the morning's events. "Your sarcasm makes up for your incredibly _short _temperament, Admiral." Eren sassed back, setting his jaw and glaring at the Admiral sourly.

"Watch your mouth, you little shit." The Admiral glowered.

Eren felt the overwhelming need to cower away and carefully beg for forgiveness but his headstrong personality and never-back-down mindset quickly shut away any thoughts on apologizing. "Don't talk about yourself in such a self-deprecating manner, Admiral Levi. It's heartbreaking to hear you call yourself '_little'_." He couldn't help the toothy, undeniably cocky, smirk that plastered itself on his face.

His heart jumped when the Admiral's face morphed into what Eren identified as intense anger and a deadly urge to beat the tar out of the dragon. The saying of "If looks could kill," was ringing throughout Eren's mind in that exact moment because he was positive that Admiral had kicked his ass a hundred times over already.

"You are lucky that there's this big ass table separating us, Gothi." Admiral Levi hissed venomously and Eren felt his body instinctively retract into his chair.

"It's a really—um—nice table. I think it would be a smart idea for you to stay over there and for me to stay over here. Safe and sound," Eren said with the slightest stammer.

From the corner of his eye, Eren saw Advisor Arlet crack a wide smile. "Don't get your fringes all disarrayed because a cute little dragon put your broody self in its proper place, Levi."

"I shall not even dignify you an answer, you uncultured cur." said the Admiral in his low voice.

As Advisor Arlet turned his head to share a gleeful laugh with Eren, the servers rang the telling bell and more wine was covertly served as politicians and scientists battled for attention and dominance on the ever boring subject of economics.

The meeting turned out to be quite enjoyable after that.

Eren liked to think that he and Armin, as per his request for Eren to call him by his name and not his confusing title, were new friends. That would make a grand total of_ three_ new friends made in two days. Even though, he was a little weary about friend number two after the night's progress; Admiral Levi had pointedly ignored him for the remainder of the dinner despite Armin's attempts to involve him in Eren and his conversations.

A part of Eren didn't mind the distance put between the Admiral and himself. On several occasions, the nagging little voice in the back of his mind reminded Eren of the heinous deeds that Admiral Levi had committed, most notably, the killing of his entire immediate family. However, there was another part of his mind, a more rational and viable part, that screamed doubts and suspicions about the whole Jaeger Clan massacre. Eren was a naturally curious dragon and for some reason, relying on just a report stating the advance on his family was made by Admiral Levi of Jotenheim aroused his suspicions about a larger cause.

What if his family's deaths were just a small part in a grand master plan? There already had been murders of many Ice Dragon clan members and a few killings of the Serpent clan's as well.

It pained Eren to think that his family's death was just a small step—a precautionary step—taken by a belligerent and cruel force. It pained him to think that all his time plotting revenge and swearing for vengeance towards the Frost Giants for his family was all for naught. False. Foolish. _Fallacious_.

"Oi, little dragon, I am talking to you. Erwin wants me to bring you to your chamber. You were out of it for the last half of the meeting and he was too chicken to snap you out of your weird trance," Barked the Admiral. He was standing next to Eren's chair, his tall body blocking the light from the chandelier.

Eren grimaced. "What?" The meeting hall was practically desolate. There were a few stragglers here and there, all by the food table, but Eren found himself alone with the Admiral once more.

Admiral Levi scowled. "Excuse me, brat?"

Getting up with a small huff and patting down the folds of his dress, Eren signed resignedly and craned his neck upwards to look at the Admiral. "I am not in the mood for idle conversation." He said gruffly. "Take your attitude somewhe…. nevermind." Eren finished, trailing off at the darkened glare the Admiral fixed at him.

"You have a heavy subject on your mind," Observed the Admiral and Eren startled. "It's all over your face. My dear sister had mentioned that you wear your emotions on your face and I have seen it myself before. Do not act so surprised." He pointed out in a bored manner.

Eren frowned. "Please refrain from snooping into my personal thoughts, Admiral Levi." He hissed, going on the defenses because while he might wear his emotions on his face, it was rude for another to call him out and take advantage of such a show. "It is none of your business."

"Your parents," the Admiral began.

Eren froze. He stopped breathing all together. His face turned pale and his eyes stung with unwelcome tears, stinging and cold and filled with raw pain.

"I did not kill them. I did not order their murder," Proclaimed Admiral Levi with a heavy set expression. "My men did not traverse out to your parent's territory and chop your siblings in half," Eren clenched his hands as rings of blood red fire burst from his fingertips. Like lava spewing from a volcano. "It was a rebel faction, Gothi Jaeger."

Shakily, Eren bared his teeth and barely contained the next flashes of power. "If that is true, then why did your king not inform mine? Why did your army continue to destroy innocent towns? Why did—"

"War," The Admiral interceded with a haunted look in his eyes. "Gothi Jaeger, contrary to popular belief, is not fair. War is unmerciful. It takes lives, souls, towns, cities, kingdoms, species, from the material world and places them into the afterlife—forcefully or by choice. Our kingdoms were at _war; _a _total war. _You are young and gifted, but you lack the experience and training soldiers have. You would understand why Jotenheim continued to wage war against the Hidden Kingdom; you would understand why we supported the rebels."

"Then explain to me what I cannot understand." Eren pleaded.

"It is for the people. We were simply protecting our own people. My job is to keep my people and liege safe from harm, no matter what actions I must take. Siding with the rebel faction against the monarchy—I know, ironic isn't it—was the most logical course of action I could have taken at the time," Explained the Admiral with an unsteady tone.

"What about my people?" Eren whispered. "What about _my family_?"

Admiral Levi breathed out wobbly. "But there is nothing I can do that will bring them back, nor is there any more reason for you to harbor such an intense hate towards my kind and I. We both lost people in the war, but I am truly sorry for your staggering loss."

Eren laughed. It was an ugly sound filled with contempt and disdain. "Then let me help you understand, Admiral." He said scornfully.

"There is nothing you can take from me that has not already been taken, Gothi Jaeger." Said the Admiral morosely. "You're directing your anger towards a kind that does not deserve it."

"Quit defending your foul race, they have _sinned_. They have wronged me." His voice was rising; his flames were heightening and increasing in temperature. For the second time in only two days, Eren had been pushed over the edge by the Admiral. "_You_ took my people from me, my family, my _life._ I had to start over, blank slate, _tabula rosa,_ because of your twisted ideals of war!" He screamed.

The Admiral took a measured step towards him, face expressionless and body tense. "Because you have suffered through many horrors, Gothi, I will not kill you where you stand—peace conference be damned at this point." He said mildly. "But if you ever call my people 'foul' again, I will not hesitate to slice your head off." Admiral Levi fumed, his eyes a pure black.

If Admiral Levi wanted another fight, he would get another fight.

Eren, despite being outranked in power, height, prestige, and strength, took his own step forward, his gaze never straying from the Admiral. "I'll call you pigs whatever I want." He raged, not caring about the small audience the Admiral and he had gained. "Try and rip my head off all you want, Admiral. I'll kill you before you get the chance."

"I cannot wait for you to be engaged in a real, live battle." The Admiral chuckled harshly. "Your tiny body would end up in the carcass pile before the battle even started."

"You—"

"_Levi!_ What's going o—Eren!" cried Hanji as she ran towards the two seething magical beings. The aura around them was thick and dense but Hanji seemed to be immune to auras due to her powers or just exceptionally good at acting. "How lovely it is to see you again! Mean ole Levi here won't let me out of my room!" She pouted dramatically.

Heart still beating fast from the scare that Hanji gave him, Eren took a small breath inwards and smiled feeble towards Hanji. The toll of exerting his power and building up his aura to match the Admiral's made him exhausted. "Thank you for your concern, Gyoja Hanji." Eren said diplomatically. "It is much appreciated."

He ignored the disbelieving snort from the Admiral and focused on not letting Hanji tear his dress as she pawed at it with a look of adoration.

"Wow," She said covertly. "This is quite beautiful. You look stunning as always." She glanced up at him with a coy grin.

Eren blushed heavily. "Much obliged." He said quietly, clearing his throat in embarrassment. He could feel his ears turning pink as the blood rushed to his face.

Hanji smiled and shot Admiral Levi a dark glare that Eren didn't miss, nor did he want to see again. She swiveled her head back towards him after a long moment. "I came here for the food." She stated. "Since you were at the meeting, I was not allowed. There can never be two head priests in the same room for long periods of time." She informed. "It is supposedly bad luck."

Eren looked at her in confusion, "Really?"

"Yup! And another interest-"

"Go get your food," Interrupted the Admiral with an annoyed bite. "I will mend my problem, so leave." He set his jaw and Eren found himself quite transfixed to the way the muscle clenched and unclenched.

Hanji looked up at him sideways before sauntering off. "You better." She said coldly before leaving the two alone again.

Eren glanced at the retreating figure perplexedly. "What was that all about?" He asked cautiously, not wanting to instigate a further fight with the Admiral even though he would have done just that if Hanji had not gotten involved.

"She wants me to—bloody hell—she wants me to apologize to you." The Admiral said with mild irritation. "Hanji doesn't understand that little shits like you are incredibly insufferable and need a proper kick in the ass sometimes."

"Was that supposed to be an apology?" Eren asked, aghast.

"Do you not remember my words, Gothi Jaeger? I have apologized to you once; I will not apologize to you again. The very fact that we have fought twice in only two days speaks volumes about our relationship."

"Relationship?" Eren exclaimed, taking another step closer; his chest was near the Admiral's lower stomach. It was ridiculous, the height difference. "Please indulge me, what kind of healthy relationship is this? I want to kill you; you want to ridicule me with every step I take—"

"You want to kill me?" said the Admiral bluntly.

_Fuck_. "Sometimes," Eren offered, seeing that his measly try at saving himself did not convince the Admiral in the least.

"Well, I think this solves our second spat." The Admiral stared down at him with slanted eyes. "You confessed that you want to have my guts hanging from your ceiling and I in-avertedly apologized to you that I am sorry for your loss. Communication is key."

There was no heat coming off of Admiral Levi, only waves of chilled air that heated up as soon as the air hit Eren's own body heat. "I-I guess I agree?" He said, unsure of what he was agreeing to.

"It would be in your best interest to agree with me and _try_to get along with other Frost Giants, including myself, Gothi Jaeger." The Admiral was the one to step back first, leaving Eren feeling vaguely disappointed with the loss of the cool body heat. "Since Gyoja Hanji is not equipped for wartime, you and I are the lead soldiers of our kingdoms-"

"So I've heard."

Admiral Levi shot him a dark glare. "Our relationship is quite important, whether you think so or not."

"It would be short of impossible to get along with one another if your head soldiers and defenders want to behead each other the moment they sense the other." Eren concluded in understanding. "You know," He took an amused step forward, surprising the Admiral while doing so. "Maybe we should spar one day. It's a good way to bond with one another now that we've gone and argued like an old married couple twice."

With a grin that was borderline sinister, the Admiral fixed his eyes on Eren with a predatory leer—and not in the pleasurable way either.

"Tomorrow then, Gothi. Make sure you bring some healing potions," Informed Admiral Levi, who was still looking at Eren in a way that made him wholly uncomfortable.

"Right," Eren agreed, his adrenaline pumping and his nerves tingling at the prospect of a fight. "You too,"

Admiral Levi laughed. It was a nerve wracking sound that made Eren instantly regret opening his mouth. "Be careful what you ask for, Gothi."

* * *

"3-0!" called the referee as Eren was flung to the ground once more by a particularly vicious throw from the Admiral.

"Goddamn it all." He growled as he sprang off the ground and landed on the balls of his feet. "You damnably tall piece of shit." He cursed under his breath as he slid his right foot forward and knelt into a crouching position.

"Still not giving up?" mused Admiral Levi, his black hair disheveled and pale blue skin glistening with a sheen of cold sweat.

He was wearing grey trousers and a loose mahogany shirt. Eren had found his lucky beige shirt hidden in one of the several flaps of his suitcase and hurried to throw it on. Rico had begrudgingly lent him a pair of dark brown trousers that fit Eren perfectly. It bugged Rico more than it bugged Eren that her clothes fit the young dragon.

"Never," Snarled Eren as he circled the Admiral with light steps.

He had only been able to land a single punch on the Frost Giant, much to the ever growing crowd's surprise, and it resulted in him getting a nasty uppercut to the chin and a large gash from where the Admiral ring's had cut into him.

Eren charged forward, mindful of the defensive stance the Admiral had taken. He quickly slid down when a lightning fast punch was thrown at his face with grace and caught himself from slipping as he brought his leg in a crisp arch and struck the Admiral's ankle.

"Fuck," grumbled Admiral Levi as he stumbled backwards a couple of steps.

"3-1!" yelled the referee with a disbelieving tone.

Taking the opportunity, Eren rounded on Admiral Levi with a sharp jab to the side with a steady kick. The Admiral quickly lunged out and grabbed Eren's leg with a strong grip before forcing Eren to fall backwards with a tug to his leg. Before his head could hit the ground, Admiral Levi took a hold of his other leg and hoisted him in the air. He adjusted his hold on Eren's legs and held him in-between the crook of his knees. Eren's arms were dangling in the open space and his face was given a very intimate view of the Admiral's crotch.

"5-1!" announced the referee to the cheering crowd.

From Eren's embarrassing position, he saw Erwin in the audience. The Advisor was giving him a look that screamed sympathy. There was a glint of pride in the Advisor's eyes though. It made Eren's chest swell, even while being held in the air by a nearly seven foot tall Frost Giant. It was the look of fatherly pride that made him feel as if he had accomplished something.

Eren would have to try harder next time if he wanted to see that face again.

He flung his legs backwards violently, towards the Admiral's face. On instinct, the Admiral let go and Eren barrel rolled to the opposing side. Sneaking a peek at the Advisor, he saw the face again.

"5-2!" cried the referee, his face contorted in shock.

Admiral Levi shot Eren an unidentifiable look before he charged forward with a speed that Eren couldn't even manage in his wildest dreams.

The Admiral had been holding back.

"Sonofabit—"snarled Eren before he was sent into the padding by a roundhouse kick to his jaw. Once again, Admiral Levi had struck his face with raw power. Eren would be lying if he claimed that he didn't scream softly at impact.

With an unbidden groan, Eren rolled over to his side and tapped out begrudgingly. His whole body shrieked at him to get the fuck up and face his opponent head on but his brain said otherwise and stopped Eren from getting up by freezing his muscles.

"Six points to Levi Ackerman of Jotenheim and two points to Eren Jemal Seubert Fredrick Isle—"

"Get on with it," Growled Eren from his position on the floor. He hated his name for a good reason; namely, because it was too goddamn long. "Middle names aren't required, ref."

"Uh, right…Two points to Eren Jaeger of the Hidden Kingdom," Fixed the referee with a bemused grin.

Eren rolled his eyes and flopped on his stomach. His body hurt too much to actually get up so he would wait it out until he could feel his face and legs.

"Hey kid, you alright?" inquired the Admiral as he crouched down next to Eren's unmoving figure. "I delivered a pretty nasty kick to your face, you know."

"Why did you aim for my face so much, Admiral?" Eren asked, more pissed than anything at his loss and at his bruised face (even though it would heal in an hour tops).

Admiral Levi smiled toothily, an act that made Eren want to simultaneously crawl under a rock in horror and take a picture so that he could cherish that smile forever. "Your face just pisses me off. Also, you can call me Mr. Levi now that I've kicked your ass and taught you to respect your elders."

Eren fought the urge to stick out his tongue and ended up rolling his eyes again moodily. "Fuck you, Mr. Levi."

"I refuse," Deadpanned the Admiral.

"Just stop."

Just one more day until the conference was over, Eren reminded himself while he struggled to his feet.

There was a sudden break in the crowd and a messenger soaked in sweat and snow bustled through the crowd with a hurried step. He rushed toward Erwin with a pained expression—whether it was from the news he was delivering or the strenuous lengths he probably had underwent to deliver the message Eren didn't know.

"An urgent message to Gothi Jaeger from the Royal Council!" He cried while handing the sealed letter to the Advisor before bowing quickly and excusing himself.

Eren got to his feet quickly; despite the trouble he had been having naught but a few seconds prior. Ignoring the cries of protest from his muscles and mind, Eren pushed past the scattering crowd and approached Erwin with furrowed eyebrows.

"Let me see." He demanded, mouth pursed because no good could come out of a message sent to him during a peace conference. "It must be of great importance for it to come all of this way." He explained while keeping his hand outstretched,

Erwin examined the envelope before taking a glance at his surroundings. Many of the military officials and politicians had finished with their meetings for the time being and had headed out to witness the biggest battle since the Ackerman siblings had fought. Erwin estimated about forty to fifty people in the general vicinity and ushered Eren inside. He didn't want a big show or a public outburst from the younger dragon because he honestly did not have a single clue about the letter given to him held.

The Advisor led Eren to a small library. It was much cozier and homey than the last library Eren had visited with Mr. Levi. Eren was sat down in one of the chairs as Erwin sat parallel to him. The look on the Advisor's face was serious and hardened. Eren found himself aching to see the face filled with fatherly pride once more; none of the professional and austere expressions that Eren had come to associate with bad or troubling news.

Sliding the letter across the small round table, Erwin motioned for Eren to open it with a tilt of his head. Eren picked up the stark red letter and tore at the seams of the envelope with a sharpened claw.

_To whom it may concern,_

_We, the Royal Council of the Hidden Kingdoms, are most saddened by the recent death of your loved one and relative. _Sebastian Jaeger of the Jaeger Clan_ was pronounced dead two days ago by the King's morgue. The causes of death:_

_-decapitation_

_-disembowelment_

_-others unidentified due to body being unusable for investigation._

_The body is currently being held in the King's Morgue and is ready for pick up._

_Sincerely,_

_Royal Council_

Eren gasped, the letter shook violently in his hands as he re-read it over and over again. He was petrified, terror-stricken, paralyzed on his seat as the impact of the letter's cruel words repeated over and over again in his mind: A broken track.

His grandfather was all that he had left of his family—His _real_ family.

Now he was dead.

Eren knew who was responsible. He knew exactly who the culprit was. He was going to make them pay. They were going to be killed in the same exact fashion as his grandfather. He would kill them. Kill them, murder them, and slaughter them.

"Eren? Eren, what did the letter say?" pressed Erwin with a worried expression. "You must tell me."

Eren screamed.

**A/N:**

**cliffhanger. not sorry. lol, I think we all know what happens next. or do we? I sure don't. okay. I have to go beta some awesome shit now. and exams ew. leave a review or do your thing. actually, just leave a review.**

**Eren's dress:**

****** wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Liberty_and_Company_tea_gown_c._ **

**More Norse Mythology info:**


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